Housing Ministry pre-pays GUYOIL $500M for fuel

Dec 22, 2021 News

..Auditor General orders agency to desist from practice

Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Housing and Water was last year handed $1.4B for the purchase of fuel and lubricants, but according to the findings of the Auditor General, the Ministry, headed by substantive Minister Colin Croal, was in the habit of pre-paying for fuel to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Minister of Housing, Colin Croal

Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, in his findings detailed in the 2020 report on government spending for that year, found that amounts totaling $1.356M were budgeted for Fuel and Lubricants for the period under review and according to the Appropriation Account, the full sum was expended.

It was noted, however, that an audit examination of the Fuel Register and Guyana Oil Company (GUYOIL) statements revealed amounts totaling $504M was owing to the Ministry by GUYOIL, as at 31 December 2020.

According to Sharma, the Ministry has since responded, confirming that it did, in fact, made a prepayment to GUYOIL of $1.322B where $829.M was utilised and a balance of $503.5M was remaining.

The Ministry said, the overpayment catered for vehicles that were intended to be transferred to the Ministry of Housing and Water from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, after the splitting of the Ministry of Communities, however, this was not done.

Sharma has since recommended that the “Head of the Budget Agency—the Permanent Secretary—desist from the practice of prepaying for large quantities of fuel beyond its consumption needs.”

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