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MP falsely accused
BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
SEVEN weeks after officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that a member of parliament had owed the Government more than US$1,200 for 17 years, Permanent Secretary Ambassador Evadney Coy yesterday withdrew the allegation, saying the claim was untrue.
Members attending yesterday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) were told that the arrears did not exist, as the money was paid to a hotel to cover costs for an official who accompanied the then prime minister overseas in 1985.
When Coy first made the claim, PAC chairman Dr Omar Davies cautioned her not to name names, advising that reputations could be damaged because of incorrect information.
Yesterday, Coy not only withdrew the allegation after an elaborate explanation, but also said the year when the advance was allegedly made was 1985 and not 1993 as was reported.
“When last we met, I made the statement that the ministry had the information and it had been certified that an amount had been outstanding to a parliamentarian. I refused to give the name, because…
“You actually said a member of parliament, you actually said a member of parliament,” Davies interjected.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Coy. “Parliamentarian, meaning of the houses of Parliament can be…”
Davies interjected again: “We know that, Ambassador.”
Coy continued: “I did not give the name because I had not personally reviewed the information. I wanted to do that myself. Having reviewed the information, it became clear to me that there was an error in accounting the time, and that the name of the parliamentarian should never have been listed as owing an advance. The advance was actually owed by the ministry because the parliamentarian had accompanied the then prime minister on official business overseas.
“The advance that he had been given was not adequate to cover the hotel bill. He then appealed to the then permanent secretary for assistance. The permanent secretary contacted our mission and instructed the mission to pay the bill. The bill was paid, not to the parliamentarian, but to the hotel. So it was an accounting error for the advance to have been written up in the name of the parliamentarian,” she explained, prompting a sigh from Davies.
“So I found all of the information to prove that, and thereby gave instruction for that name to be removed from the records and for the matter to be resolved by journal entry,” Coy added.
Perplexed PAC members made known their disgust about the grave error.
When Coy first made the allegation, members were anxious to hear who the debtor was, and were annoyed when Davies cautioned against the disclosure.
Yesterday, they expressed appreciation to him for not allowing the person’s name to be made public.
They were to later hear how the accounting records of the ministry were in disarray and that the services of some experienced, retired former ministry officials would be brought in to help sort the records.
Coy’s attempt to elaborate on the Ministry’s accounting system led to Davies remarking that the ambassador’s explanation had left them all in darkness.
However, Davies suggested that a meeting take place between the Auditor General’s Department and the Foreign Ministry today to clear up socalled “misunderstandings” about documentation the AG was seeking.
The ministry claimed that the information requested by the AG would be ready by December 15, although it was outstanding from as far back as 1996.
In the aftermath of the near scandal, committee member Lisa Hanna wanted to know who was sanctioned for similar messes that often unfolded within government agencies.
MP Everald Warmington added that in its report to the House, the committee should make recommendations for serious sanctions to be made against accountable officers responsible for these errors.
BY ERICA VIRTUE Observer writer virtuee@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
SEVEN weeks after officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that a member of parliament had owed the Government more than US$1,200 for 17 years, Permanent Secretary Ambassador Evadney Coy yesterday withdrew the allegation, saying the claim was untrue.
Members attending yesterday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) were told that the arrears did not exist, as the money was paid to a hotel to cover costs for an official who accompanied the then prime minister overseas in 1985.
When Coy first made the claim, PAC chairman Dr Omar Davies cautioned her not to name names, advising that reputations could be damaged because of incorrect information.
Yesterday, Coy not only withdrew the allegation after an elaborate explanation, but also said the year when the advance was allegedly made was 1985 and not 1993 as was reported.
“When last we met, I made the statement that the ministry had the information and it had been certified that an amount had been outstanding to a parliamentarian. I refused to give the name, because…
“You actually said a member of parliament, you actually said a member of parliament,” Davies interjected.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Coy. “Parliamentarian, meaning of the houses of Parliament can be…”
Davies interjected again: “We know that, Ambassador.”
Coy continued: “I did not give the name because I had not personally reviewed the information. I wanted to do that myself. Having reviewed the information, it became clear to me that there was an error in accounting the time, and that the name of the parliamentarian should never have been listed as owing an advance. The advance was actually owed by the ministry because the parliamentarian had accompanied the then prime minister on official business overseas.
“The advance that he had been given was not adequate to cover the hotel bill. He then appealed to the then permanent secretary for assistance. The permanent secretary contacted our mission and instructed the mission to pay the bill. The bill was paid, not to the parliamentarian, but to the hotel. So it was an accounting error for the advance to have been written up in the name of the parliamentarian,” she explained, prompting a sigh from Davies.
“So I found all of the information to prove that, and thereby gave instruction for that name to be removed from the records and for the matter to be resolved by journal entry,” Coy added.
Perplexed PAC members made known their disgust about the grave error.
When Coy first made the allegation, members were anxious to hear who the debtor was, and were annoyed when Davies cautioned against the disclosure.
Yesterday, they expressed appreciation to him for not allowing the person’s name to be made public.
They were to later hear how the accounting records of the ministry were in disarray and that the services of some experienced, retired former ministry officials would be brought in to help sort the records.
Coy’s attempt to elaborate on the Ministry’s accounting system led to Davies remarking that the ambassador’s explanation had left them all in darkness.
However, Davies suggested that a meeting take place between the Auditor General’s Department and the Foreign Ministry today to clear up socalled “misunderstandings” about documentation the AG was seeking.
The ministry claimed that the information requested by the AG would be ready by December 15, although it was outstanding from as far back as 1996.
In the aftermath of the near scandal, committee member Lisa Hanna wanted to know who was sanctioned for similar messes that often unfolded within government agencies.
MP Everald Warmington added that in its report to the House, the committee should make recommendations for serious sanctions to be made against accountable officers responsible for these errors.