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Coalition paid $17M in advances to workers, who later walked off job – PAC hears
Kaieteur News – In 2016, some staffers attached to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two were overpaid in excess of $17M in salary advances under the A Partnership For National Unity +Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition. Some of those workers have since walked off the job without clearing their debts.
REO of Region Two under APNU+AFC coalition, Rupert Hopkinson.
This was revealed at Monday’s sitting of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as Region Two administration faced questions about the 2016 expenditure. The issue was first highlighted in the Auditor General’s 2016 report.
Regional Democratic Officer for Region Two, Susannah Saywack explained to the committee that while she was not in charge of the Region in 2016, the records support the notion that a majority of staffers, who worked under the previous REO, Rupert Hopkinson, were overpaid in salaries and advances. The only issue, she said is that a majority of the workers have left the job and attempts to recover the sum from them have proven futile.
Saywack told the committee that, while some of the monies have been refunded, some $17.9 million is still outstanding. She said that the Region has since had very little success with recovery.
“I know that we would have tried to reach out to those [staffers] that have these advances to be cleared. A few of them would have addressed same and we are awaiting responses from the others,” the REO said.
Responding to queries from the PAC, Accountant General Jennifer Chapman, who was present during the sitting, stated that the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA) empowers the RDC to deduct money from the salaries of these workers in order to recover their debts.
In this regard, Saywack explained further that only some of these workers are still employed by the RDC, and that monies are deducted from the salaries of those who owe advances and are still employed with the RDC. The REO said that a majority of the other workers, formerly employed by the Region, never responded to efforts to reach them.
Meanwhile, officials of the Region Two RDC were also questioned about an issue in which employees who were not entitled to free housing were living in Government quarters rent-free.
The Auditor General had found in his 2016 report that 14 persons were occupying the RDC Government quarters rent-free.
Region Two officials confirmed that of the 76 quarters in the RDC’s possession, 18 are currently occupied.
In answer to the PAC, REO Saywack explained that only one of those officers is actually entitled to rent-free quarters.
“My knowledge is one of the officers, out of the 14, is entitled. She is presently our acting DREO [Deputy REO]. For the others, no records I have found, stipulates that they’re entitled to rent-free,” Saywack said.
She said that the Region has since written to the occupants asking those who are occupying to pay rent. “Nine are currently paying house rent, seven persons were written to, two vacated and two officers are presently entitled to the house rent-free, that is,” she added.
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