Guyana Observer News

City Hall inquiry report handed over to minister

Sunday, 19 July 2009

Minister of Local Government Kellawan Lall is now in receipt of the report on the inquiry into the Mayor and City Council, according to Commissioner of the Inquiry Keith Burrowes. The handing-over of the document was not conducted publicly as planned. Burrowes explained that it was cancelled because of Friday’s early morning fire which destroyed the main office of the Health Ministry. Burrowes serves as a senior official within the health ministry.

Burrowes said that after Lall would have perused the report a press conference would be held. He identified next Friday as the tentative date for the press briefing.

The Commission of Inquiry was set up by Lall last year to investigate the state of affairs at City Hall. A press release from the ministry had said that the inquiry would be carried out under seven terms of reference: to peruse the Auditor General’s report on the municipality for 2007; to obtain the assistance of knowledgeable persons in conducting the inquiry and to look for irregularities identified in the AG’s report as relates to the town clerk’s office, the office of the City Treasurer, loans to members of staff and others, advances on salaries, irregularities in rates and taxes, municipal bank accounts in commercial banks and restructuring municipal departments and operations.

Burrowes, an economist, was appointed the sole commissioner and was to be assisted by an eight-member team. The inquiry was also commissioned to pronounce on any culpability of the Town Clerk and City Treasurer and to make recommendations to the minister. It was set up after a report was submitted to the M&CC by the Auditor General (AG). The report revealed serious breaches in regulations and protocol by the administration of the municipality, particularly within the City Treasurer’s Department. It had examined several areas: wages and salaries, for which records were not being properly maintained; officers being given payment in lieu of leave without proper authority or approval; advances and loans to officers; deduction of officers’ deposits; bank reconciliation statements; assessment and collection of rates and taxes and information systems costs.

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