Enmore Hope NDC missing funds probe ends

Apr 13, 2018 News

The recent investigation launched by the Chairman of the Region Four Democratic Council (RDC), Genevieve Allen, has been completed and actions are likely to follow.
This was reported by Assistant Regional Executive Officer (AREO) Ramnarine Singh. Singh made the disclosure during the April sitting of the Regional Accounting Committees (RAC) meeting at Triumph on Tuesday.
He told the meeting that the Enmore/Hope NDC had organised a fundraising exercise last year to increase the NDC’s coffers. However, according to documents presented to the Region, despite recording some $1M in sales from the Bar-b-que, the NDC reported that it made a loss.
“The total sale made was $1,132,000; however, they reported that they had an expenditure of $852,000. Therefore, there should be a profit of $279,000. Now there were additional costs with no supporting bills to support the claim of expenditure,” Singh said.
Singh said, “A confrontation was held and even if you were to add the additional amount that they claim that they spent that would leave us with $184,528. The amount of monies paid over to the NDC in three parts was $91,800. So there is still a difference of $92,728.00.”
The AREO said that the NDC went on to claim that they had to use additional monies for the Chairman and Vice Chairman. He said that the NDC records also showed that councillors paid themselves to do the fundraising activity.
“I can’t understand if you are doing a fundraiser why you would want to pay yourself?” the AREO questioned.
“There was one case where it was reported that a councillor had to use monies to go to the hospital and use taxis among other things. However when questioned, the councillor said that she knew nothing about that and it’s evident that there was a “cook up” plan,” he said.
The Regional Chairman expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which the NDC is operating adding that when she was first introduced to the idea she, like many others, thought that it was a brilliant idea geared at increasing the financial coffers of the Enmore/Hope NDC.
She also expressed her disappointment with the Enmore/Hope NDC. Last year, the NDC was one of the few NDCs that had the lowest balance and therefore thought that it was a good initiative to host a Bar-b-que.
She told the officials that for any activity, record must be given when such fundraising activity is done. Many of the elected officials are seeking to run the NDCs as if they are their personal businesses refusing to adhere to clearly established guidelines and regulations, she said.
The Regional Chairman urged elected officials to recognise that the Overseer is the accounting officer like the REOs of the Region and therefore they should allow the Overseers to perform their duties in a professional way.
The Chairman said she the report will be forwarded to the Local Government Commission for requisite actions.

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