Acting Auditor General Deodat Sharma says that the furore over the $90 million allocation for the Guyana Police Force is a matter over which he is empowered to initiate an investigation, once it is in the interest of the public to do so.
But he said that it is likely that he will pronounce on it in the Report of the Auditor General for 2011, due at the end of September this year.
He said that the amount of money involved does not warrant a special investigation and that the transactions for the use of these funds should be easily traceable.
“I haven’t gone into it as yet but I have noted it and will be looking at it,” Sharma said in an invited comment today.
Asked whether he would need to have the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament recommend such an investigation, Sharma said that the Audit Office is an independent agency and is not dictated to by anyone.
Incoming Chairman of the PAC Carl Greenidge is of a mind to recommend an investigation by the Audit Office. “As the incoming Chairman of the PAC, this matter would be attracting our attention not only because of the different explanations proffered but also because of the [recurring nature of such issues],” he said.
He made reference to the misuse and misdirection of funds from the Contingencies Fund in such financial papers over the terms of the PPP/C in office. “We could call for an investigation by the Auditor General. I think that that might be the best way to go,” he said, adding that such a decision is still subject to a vote by the PAC when it is eventually constituted.
Amidst a sea of criticism, the Guyana Police Force said it could account for $90M allocated to the police during the general elections last November, and stated that the monies received were allocated to feed ranks and for policing activities.
Police Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker said that there was nothing sinister in the handling of the monies “as alluded to by the media.”
Whittaker said in a press release that the actual sum allotted to the police for elections duties was $51,008,000 and not the total $90,649,200.
The release was meant to set the record straight about publications in the print media concerning an alleged “missing $90M” allocated to the force during the last elections “and which have resulted from unofficial, unauthorized and misleading statements from a Police Divisional Commander….”
Whittaker noted that during 2011, the GPF prepared a budget of proposed activities for the elections, which was submitted to the Ministry of Finance through the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He said that subsequently, supplementary provisions were received during November 2011 in the sum of $90,649,200. He said that of this amount, a sum of $39,641,200 was for the shortfall on voted provisions and $51,008,000 was received under the line item 6261 – Local Travelling and Subsistence – which also caters for the feeding of police ranks during the inline period for elections.
He noted that $8M was to facilitate the cost of travelling expenses and the remaining $43,008,000 was brought to account by the police. He said too that a total sum of $32,491,822 was drawn out to Police Divisions, Police Headquarters and Special Constabulary Headquarters to meet expenditure for the feeding of ranks.
He said that Police Divisions, Police Headquarters and the Special Constabulary Headquarters were allocated cash and commodities from the Police Consumers’ Cooperative Society Ltd and other outlets for the feeding of ranks, Whittaker added.
In his letter, Whittaker explained that Police Headquarters comprises all the Branches of the Force such as the Tactical Services Unit, CID Headquarters, the Felix Austin Police College, Immigration, Commissioner’s Office, General Office, Finance Office, the Police Band, Quartermaster Stores, etc, but the Tactical Services Unit received a separate allocation for the elections period.
