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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=news_byline><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 600; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Police</SPAN> to investigate irregularities at St. Catherine Parish Council</TD></TR><TR><TD style="HEIGHT: 9px"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=news_summary><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellPadding=0 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><TR><TD class=news_imagecaption></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><SPAN class=news_summary>Local Government Minister Dean Peart has asked the police to investigate new allegations of financial irregularities at the St. Catherine Parish Council. </SPAN>
<SPAN class=news_body>The matter was discussed at Wednesday's meeting of the Cabinet and according to Mr. Peart, it was decided that a top level <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative">probe</SPAN> be carried out in addition to the ongoing audit by the Local Government Ministry.
Reports on the irregularities at the Council have also been presented to Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller and Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies.
A five member audit team has uncovered discrepancies in the council's procurement process, breaches of the Rates and Finance Act and what it described as weak documentation at the Council.
The audit revealed that <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">over </SPAN><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">50</SPAN> million dollars was paid for drain cleaning, bushing and road works under contracts valued between J$25,000.00 and J$500,000.00.
However, the contracts were not submitted to the Council's contracts or finance committees for approval.
Investigation showed that 256 contracts amounting to just over 20 million dollars were approved by the Mayor outside regular Council sessions.
The auditors report stated that no <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink4 onmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,4); style="POSITION: relative; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,4); onmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,4);
<SPAN class=news_body>The matter was discussed at Wednesday's meeting of the Cabinet and according to Mr. Peart, it was decided that a top level <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative">probe</SPAN> be carried out in addition to the ongoing audit by the Local Government Ministry.
Reports on the irregularities at the Council have also been presented to Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller and Finance Minister Dr. Omar Davies.
A five member audit team has uncovered discrepancies in the council's procurement process, breaches of the Rates and Finance Act and what it described as weak documentation at the Council.
The audit revealed that <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">over </SPAN><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">50</SPAN> million dollars was paid for drain cleaning, bushing and road works under contracts valued between J$25,000.00 and J$500,000.00.
However, the contracts were not submitted to the Council's contracts or finance committees for approval.
Investigation showed that 256 contracts amounting to just over 20 million dollars were approved by the Mayor outside regular Council sessions.
The auditors report stated that no <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink4 onmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,4); style="POSITION: relative; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" onclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,4); onmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,4);
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