At the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Monday last with the Region One administration, significant financial oversight issues were brought to the forefront. One which raised great alarm was the lack of supporting documentation for 333 cheques totalling nearly $134 million found in a safe at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) office.
It was indicated that this absence was a sign of systemic failures in the region’s financial processes, which the PAC insisted must be rectified. The committee members stressed the importance of implementing robust systems to ensure that all cheques are accompanied by valid paperwork, such as procurement documents and payment vouchers.
During the meeting, PAC member Ganesh Mahipaul raised concerns about the then Regional Executive Officer (REO) Teka Bissessar’s lack of adequate response to a management letter from the Audit Office in October 2020. Audit Director Gitanjali Singh stated that although Bissessar did provide a response, it was insufficient. It wasn’t until a follow-up visit in 2021 that the Audit Office discovered the necessary documentation, which confirmed that some cheques had been cashed while others had been returned to the Consolidated Fund.