PPP deliberately delaying six-year audit of Govt. spending – PAC Chair

Jul 07, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament (MP) Vishnu Panday has expressed concern over the committee’s inability to begin its work, lamenting what he described as the deliberate delay in reviewing nearly six years of Auditor General’s reports.

Speaking on Sunday’s episode of “Sources,” Panday said the committee is now faced with an almost six-year backlog of auditor general’s reports, pointing out that the pace of the PAC’s work makes clearing the backlog a big challenge.

His main concern, he explained, is that the committee typically takes an entire year to examine a single auditor general’s report and compile its own report before presenting it to the National Assembly.

“So, 2031 will finish up to 2024 hopefully and then we still have a 2031 six-year backlog. So, there is no progress whatsoever. So, the major concern has been the backlog that’s one, and two the members of the government, the five government members of which we need to have two of the government members and three of the opposition members to have a quorum. They are not responding to the request so far.”

Panday confirmed that since the committee was constituted, it has not been able to meet to develop a work plan for addressing the backlog, despite that being its immediate intention.

“So, the elections were held on the 15th of June, where I was appointed with others to various committees. I was appointed chairman of PAC. Immediately I said to the clerk send out requests. You have to inform three days before; you have a gestation period. So, send out requests that I would like to have a meeting soonest. That would be a matter of formality and the things you have mentioned their modalities and how we going to strategise and so on. No response.

He continued… “so, the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and the 26th which was a Friday of June. Thursday was skipped because that was cabinet time and I was informed. So, requests were sent out for meetings and all those days.”

According to Panday, the requests were met with responses from government members indicating they were occupied with other pressing matters.

He said in a country where parliamentary scrutiny of public spending is critical, government ministers and MPs should regard PAC meetings as a priority.

“If a minister of government or government MPs cannot see the committee meeting as a priority and cannot fit it amongst their other priorities, then that bespeaks the way the government is managing the affairs of the country, and that’s a serious issue,” he said.

At its press conference last Friday, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), MP Juretha Fernandes also criticised the delays, describing accountability as the PAC’s central responsibility.

“I think we have about three paragraphs there to conclude that report and then we’ll be moving in from to the report of 2020. I want to remind the public that the audit office auditor general has already submitted the 2024 report. So, we have the 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 report outstanding there to be examined.”

Fernandes said government members were using the committee’s quorum requirements to prevent scrutiny of public expenditure.

She alleged that the government side of the House was “weaponizing” the quorum rules to use its parliamentary majority to ensure taxpayers do not receive proper accountability for how public funds are spent.

MP Fernandes noted that both she and fellow APNU MP Ganesh Mahipaul had committed to attending meetings whenever they were called, including virtually if necessary.

“Both indicated that anytime the meeting is called we will make ourselves available. If we’re not physically able to attend we will join virtually as is afforded for those meetings as well. Most of the PPP members are not just saying they can’t physically attend.”

She said there are several options available for members to participate in meetings and maintained that government MPs were deliberately avoiding them.

She added, “they are willfully not attending those meetings because we are at the end of the 2019 report.”

The PAC is responsible for examining the Auditor General’s reports and ensuring public funds are spent in accordance with the law. The committee’s work is regarded as one of Parliament’s primary mechanisms for holding the executive accountable for public expenditure.

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• Audit, PPP, Public Accounts Committee, We Invest in Nationhood

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