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Representatives of various public bodies were forced to go on the defensive at Tuesday's sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Frustrated by late reports, cost overruns and sloppy accounting in the public agencies uncovered by the Auditor General, PAC Chairman Dr. Omar Davies was on the warpath.
Several times throughout the sitting Dr. Davies expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the representatives of the agencies as, one after the other, the Auditor General pointed out numerous oversights and a lack of urgency in tiding up accounts.
Dr. Davies was especially incensed when it was revealed that the Fire Brigade had not submitted official statements of account for several years.
The PAC chairman was even more upset when head of the Fire Brigade Laurie Williams explained that the reports for 2003-2004 would not be ready before September this year.
Mr. Williams said that although the auditor selected to do the Brigade's books was one of the largest in the country, only one person had been assigned to look over their books.
Dr. Davies was not impressed by Mr. Williams' excuse that only one auditor is currently working on the brigade's accounts.
The PAC Chairman then instructed Mr. Williams to inform the external auditors to ensure that the outstanding documents are ready by May this year.
There were more uncomfortable moments for Mr. Williams when it was revealed that the brigade had $50 million worth of cancelled cheques that had not come back to the organisation.
Dr. Davies found it hard to digest Mr. Williams' explanation that the brigade's internal auditor failed to pick up on the lapse.
"It's amazing. Five years, $50 million and a bank just doesn't feel obliged to send back cancelled cheques and your internal auditor doesn't say ‘later for you'? Every month every cheque that comes on the statement must be returned. It's not an innovation; basically all businesses do...that is standard procedures and processes. You either need a new bank or a new financial controller but this is unsatisfactory," said Mr. Davies.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/16600/26/
Frustrated by late reports, cost overruns and sloppy accounting in the public agencies uncovered by the Auditor General, PAC Chairman Dr. Omar Davies was on the warpath.
Several times throughout the sitting Dr. Davies expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the representatives of the agencies as, one after the other, the Auditor General pointed out numerous oversights and a lack of urgency in tiding up accounts.
Dr. Davies was especially incensed when it was revealed that the Fire Brigade had not submitted official statements of account for several years.
The PAC chairman was even more upset when head of the Fire Brigade Laurie Williams explained that the reports for 2003-2004 would not be ready before September this year.
Mr. Williams said that although the auditor selected to do the Brigade's books was one of the largest in the country, only one person had been assigned to look over their books.
Dr. Davies was not impressed by Mr. Williams' excuse that only one auditor is currently working on the brigade's accounts.
The PAC Chairman then instructed Mr. Williams to inform the external auditors to ensure that the outstanding documents are ready by May this year.There were more uncomfortable moments for Mr. Williams when it was revealed that the brigade had $50 million worth of cancelled cheques that had not come back to the organisation.
Dr. Davies found it hard to digest Mr. Williams' explanation that the brigade's internal auditor failed to pick up on the lapse.
"It's amazing. Five years, $50 million and a bank just doesn't feel obliged to send back cancelled cheques and your internal auditor doesn't say ‘later for you'? Every month every cheque that comes on the statement must be returned. It's not an innovation; basically all businesses do...that is standard procedures and processes. You either need a new bank or a new financial controller but this is unsatisfactory," said Mr. Davies.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/16600/26/