Local Govt. Commission pussyfooting with City Hall COI recommendations

Jan 04, 2019 News

The Local Government Commission (LGC) appears to be delaying carrying out the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) conducted into the operations of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown (M&CC).
A source close to the Commission confirmed with this newspaper that the LGC is not ready to act on the recommendations, even though it has been in receipt of the report several weeks now.
The source claimed that certain issues of national importance have been part of the delay.
“We had the issue of the no-confidence motion and this is accompanied by the Christmas season, where some of the officials are on leave, so any action on report will have to wait until the commission is properly constituted,” the source claimed.
The CoI report was handed over on November 30, last, by Commissioner Justice Cecil Kennard (ret’d) to Chairman of the Local Government Commission (LGC), Mortimer Mingo. The CoI found grounds for some terminations and for criminal proceedings to be instituted, and investigations to be pursued against several senior city officials.
The report obtained by Kaieteur News indicated that other senior officers be terminated for their poor management of the affairs of the city; and that where irregularities are found, criminal investigation and charges be laid against defaulting officers.
In light of the findings, the CoI recommends that there be further investigations in the form of a forensic audit to be conducted by the Audit Office of Guyana.
The report calls for officers to be disciplined even as that audit is being conducted.
The senior officers listed included Town Clerk Royston King, who was sent on leave to facilitate the CoI. King is cited for gross misconduct, abuse of office, recklessness, dishonesty, conspiracy, and misappropriation of funds.
Also listed in the report are Acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry-Munroe who is cited for dereliction of duty and incompetence; Assistant Town Clerk, Sherry Jerrick, for dereliction of duty and incompetence; Internal Auditor, Omodele Umojo-Newton for incompetence and conspiracy; Chief Constable, Andrew Foo for dereliction of duty and incompetence; Human Resources Manager, Paulette Braithwaite for incompetence; City Engineer, Colvern Venture for incompetence and dereliction of duty; and Rashid Kelman for conspiracy.
Further, the report noted that City Treasurer, Ron Mc Calmont, should proceed on early retirement, as he is unwell.
Last month, Chairman Mingo told Kaieteur News that the Commission is deliberating on the 31 recommendations contained in the report.
“We are taking a serious look at these recommendations and categorizing accordingly,” he said noting that in addition to administrative matters, the recommendations for criminal investigation is being given serious consideration.
Mingo noted that while the public will be anxiously awaiting the LGC to act on the recommendations, the process will take some time.
“We will keep the public informed as we go along,” he asserted.
Added to that, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan told the National Assembly during scrutiny of the 2019 budgetary allocations that Government will allow the Local Government Commission to work unhindered on the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into City Hall.
“They are the ones who will be making the determination as to which of the recommendations in the CoI they will act on,” Bulkan told the National Assembly.
“I don’t propose that the Ministry will be a hindrance in that process.”

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Local Govt. Commission pussyfooting with City Hall COI recommendations

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