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‘Human error’ contributed to scandalous report PAC on Region Five fuel distribution – Mahipaul
Kaieteur News – A human error may have led to a scandalous report being presented before the Public Accounts Committee about Regional Council of Region Five’s management and distribution of fuel under the previous A Partnership for National Unity +Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Administration in 2019.
Opposition MP, Ganesh Mahipaul
The Auditor General’s report for that year shows fuel was purchased for 26 vehicles that were not in the region’s inventory. The report said that there were 18 instances where 1195 litres of fuel were purchased for a vehicle, with licence plate PTT 1184, amounting to $253,913 in 2019. The year before, there were 41 instances of fuel being purchased for 26 vehicles that weren’t in the region’s inventory, totalling almost $500,000.
Additionally, there were some 35 instances totalling $282,619, where the bill date was before the date on the requisition to purchase.
The Audit Office had recommended that the regional administration put systems in place to ensure that all fuel purchased is only for vehicles owned and operated by the region, and that fuel is properly accounted for and utilised in an efficient manner
During a hearing of the PAC on Monday, members of the PAC raised serious concerns over breaches in the Region Five administration’s stores regulations, which were revealed in the 2019 Auditor General (AG) Report, which highlighted fuel was purchased for 26 vehicles that were not in the region’s inventory.
However, it was pointed out that the service station had erroneously submitted vehicle numbers, creating an illusion of a scandal. The PAC also heard that one of the vehicles which collected fuel belonged to someone who was not part of the region. “Something is not right…. Let’s see if we can get to the bottom of it and fix it. Because that practice that you are having right now is what you had in 2019, clearly, it’s not the right practice… It is a breach of the store’s regulations…,” Ganesh Mahipaul Opposition MP and Chair of the meeting said.
It was explained that at times, the region found that there was a “mix up” of the bill number, wrong figures and vehicle numbers that did not “match up” with the vehicle on their inventory.
PAC member Bishop Juan Edghill said that the region would have received management letters about these “human errors” before the AG finalised his report, and nothing was done.
Region Five official at the PAC hearing on Monday
In a statement following the meeting, Mahipaul sought to clarify that the issue. He noted that Regional authorities had explained that the errors were human, with the incorrect use of, for example, ‘PWW’ instead of ‘PVV.’
Mahipaul said to further validate their claims, the PAC sought verification from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), which confirmed that most vehicle numbers did not exist in their records. “This revelation strongly suggests that a genuine mistake occurred on the part of the service station. However, to ensure an impartial conclusion, the PAC directed the Auditor General to conduct a thorough investigation. The aim is to verify the Region’s defense, reconcile any discrepancies, and determine if there are substantial issues surrounding the distribution of fuel to authorized vehicles in the Region. The matter remains open and is yet to be conclusively addressed by the PAC.” Mahipaul said in an attempt to debunk newspaper reports that highlighted the scandal.
The Opposition MP stressed further that the dissemination of information to the public demands a commitment to truth and accuracy, with credibility as the foremost priority. “My response to these misleading reports is absolutely necessary, as we cannot permit misinformation to erode the foundations of our democratic principles. The media must rise above partisan interests and uphold the responsibility of being impartial conveyors of information for the public good,” he said.
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- A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change, distribution, Ganesh Mahipaul, Opposition MP, Public Accounts Committee
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