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IDPADA-G delivers finance documents on Culture Ministry’s request
…expresses concerns over media attacks on organisation
Kaieteur News – The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly (Guyana) IDPADA-G has submitted financial documents as required by the Minister of Culture following damning accusations about the body’s financial accountability by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo some two week ago.
The Vice President during a recent press conference accused the organisation and its members, specifically its chairman, Vincent Alexander, of pocketing tax dollars from a $500M sum that was handed to the organisation by the State to address issues facing Afro-Guyanese.
In an August 31, 2022 letter, said to be from Culture Minister Charles Ramson to the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer, Olive Sampson, financial records including payment, vouchers, payroll, contracts, and receipts for all monies spent for the fiscal years from 2018 to the present date, among others, were requested to be submitted by September 5, 2022.
Alexander told the newspaper that, “one comprehensive audit for the period” was done, and “our response to the Minister should have been delivered before 3:30 pm (Friday).” Alexander said that attention was drawn to an audit which was previously done. “I have drawn his attention to the investigative audit, 2018-2021 and we are sending him a copy.” Alexander said information was also sent to the Culture Minister indicating that the audit for the current period is scheduled to be undertaken statutorily later, but will be pulled forward as the agency is committed to accountability.
In a letter dispatched to the Culture Minister from IDPADA-G, the organisation noted its commitment to accountability “for every cent allocated to us from any source… In fact, a comprehensive audit of our organisation was conducted by the Central Internal Audit Unit of the Ministry of Finance, for the period January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2021. Since that audit investigated receipts and disbursement of funds by IDPADA-G, it fully investigated the ‘concerns’ raised in your request to us. Therefore, all financial records you seek for the period 2018 – 2021 were submitted to that government audit team.”
The Minister was informed further that audit report done under the purview of the Ministry of Finance which established that IDPADA-G’s disbursement of funds was proper and without cause for reprimand. “The findings of the audit from 2018 to 2021 provided guidance on minor changes to internal processes that have since been implemented. Therefore, in furtherance of our commitment to accountability, I have annexed a copy of the audit for the period 2018 through 2021 entitled Investigation into Receipt and Disbursement of Funds by IDPADA – Guyana for your ease of reference, though it is already in the possession of the appropriate government Ministry.”
The letter said that the only period for which receipts and disbursements by IDPADA-G have not been audited is January 1, 2022 to present – a period of eight months. “We are aware of the legal provisions for financial exposures and audits of entities such as IDPADA-G Inc. However, as further demonstration of IDPADA-G’s commitment to accountability, we are prepared, in this instance, to submit the relevant records to an independent auditor although statutorily this period is not due for an audit. We are ready to engage the appropriate government agency to mutually agree on such an independent auditor and the necessary terms of reference for the period January 1, 2022 to the present.”
Alexander, in his comments to Kaieteur News also addressed the ‘attack’ by some media houses that seem to have come based on the Vice President’s “misleading” statements. Alexander said that IDPADA-G’s activities are not usually covered by some media, for example, a recent press conference where the body sought to address the VP’s allegations, yet stories under the headline that the agency was dodging accountability, were published. “We opened up ourselves by hosting a press conference and taking questions” yet misinformation was deliberately being published against the organisation, Alexander indicated.
IDPADA-G was established in response to the UN declaration of an International Decade for People of African Descent. The body has legal standing as a not for profit company registered under the company Act.
The Culture Ministry pointed out that “recent disclosures, publications, and public statements” provided the basis for the Ministry to have grave concerns, requiring closer examination.
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