CIG vows to act on auditors’ NBF findings
Red Bay Church of God, attended by Juliana O’Connor Connolly, the current speaker of the House and former UDP deputy premier, was one of many churches which received cash from the NBF but later returned the money
(CNS): Cayman Islands Government leaders have agreed to “fully implement” the recommendations made by the auditor general in his latest damning report regarding the potential misuse and mismanagement of taxpayers’ money. Following the release of Alastair Swarbrick’s findings in an audit of the controversial Nation Building Fund,the premier and the deputy governor said in a joint press statement that they would take “appropriate measures to ensure that future programmes are effectively managed and delivered to achieve value for money, accountability and transparency”.
Following an attack on Swarbrick by Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush from the floor of the Legislative Assembly in a “personal explanation” before the report was public, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) convened a press conference Friday and released the document, which had been delayed at the request of Bush.
The fund, which had long been a controversial topic, was described by the current premier, Alden McLAughlin, who was opposition leader at the time, as a “slush fund” for Bush. Other MLAs had also expressed their view that it was bordering on corruption and was nothing more than vote buying.
Speaking to CNS in the wake of the report’s release, McLAughlin said he believed the auditor general’s findings supported his position that this was nothing more than a slush fund for political gain.
“My concern from the beginning was that no single politician should have the discretion to spend over $13 million of public money with no checks or balances,” he said, as he pointed to the lack of criteria surrounding applications and the need to ensure it never happens again.
In the joint statement with Franz Manderson, McLaughlin said the audit findings presented an opportunity for the current elected government and the civil service to work together to strengthen the good governance framework over transfer payments and to ensure that future programmes could withstand scrutiny.
“Elected officials and civil servants should play separate and distinct roles in delivering government programmes; however, given the concerns raised by the auditor general, it is clear that these roles need to be more clearly defined and enforced,” he said.
Franz Manderson added that the civil service takes the concerns raised by the OAG seriously.
“I have committed to take the necessary steps to ensure that civil servants comply with the new framework, which will mandate that public expenditure transactions and programmes meet the four tests of propriety, regularity, value for money and feasibility,” the deputy governor said.
“We wish to assure the public that the framework will be implemented in the short term and we will work with the audit office to ensure that the programme addresses the concerns raised in this audit,” the men stated.
Category: Government oversight, Politics
That’s telling it like it is, Revelations 3:45 !
We don’t just want steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again!! The horse has long since bolted. What we want is someone to be held accountable. Otherwise the NBF might not happen again, but something else that is just as bad surely will. But all they ever do is say “it won’t happen again”. Useless.
i keep hearing about no accountablity in the civil service yet I read today in the compass about staff being suspended and fired???? I also read about the great job the CFO’s are now doing and making history with the quality of the financial statements- come on this no accounablity complaint is old news!!!
Staff suspended and fired? When? ? AccountabilityWho? What’s that?
Franz was appointed i believe in 2012- so not soon enought to stop the abuse. I believe that this matter will now be addressed and will be put to rest. I see great things happening in the civil service including tremendous improvement in financial statements. I noted that Bean Counter stated that the government has not produced consolidated financial statements since 2004 but BC must be in dream land- check the facts this statements have been produced every year and i understand that 13/14 will soon be released. Minister Archer has predicted that the 16/17 or 17/18 consolidated financial statements will receive a qualified opinion for the frist time since 2004- maybe thats what BC was referring to.
See attached links with some interesting reports which represent just the facts please
http://www.auditorgeneral.gov.ky/financialauditandgenerareports
https://caymannewsservice.com/2015/01/still-no-sign-clean-full-government-audit/
https://caymannewsservice.com/2015/07/auditors-offer-reality-check-on-ministry-boast/
The issues about the lack of quality information and the lack of Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for CIG since 2004 are highlighted in multiple AG financial audit reports. I encourage persons take the time to read them. These are concerns that have been expressed for several years by Mr. Swarbrick and his predecessor Mr. Duguay.
Thank you Bean Counter for admitting your error. What you should have said is that the government has not produced high quality consolidation accounts since 2004. We all make mistakes the good news is that obviously more and more clean accounts are now being produced things are getting better. Come on BC admit it.
See attached links with some interesting reports which finally represent just the facts please
http://www.auditorgeneral.gov.ky/financialauditandgenerareports
https://www.caymannewsservice.com/2015/01/still-no-sign-clean-full-government-audit/
https://www.caymannewsservice.com/2015/07/auditors-offer-reality-check-on-ministry-boast/
The issues about the lack of quality information and the lack of Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for CIG since 2004 are highlighted in multiple AG financial audit reports. I encourage persons take the time to read them. These are concerns that have been expressed for several years by Mr. Swarbrick and his predecessor Mr. Duguay.
Great. Now what is going to be done about the NRA / Dart agreement that was found to be illegal as well?
I still can’t believe that this needs to be said out loud. This should have been a GIVEN!! Cayman, for this to go on at all with nobody saying anything even when they knew it was suspect.. THIS is how everyone can say whatever they want about corruption.
Get it???
You left ‘soon come’ out of the headline 🙂
Nice comment, sounds politically correct. Will anything come of it ? I doubt it,. It is easy to look good on camera by saying what people want to hear. Oh it’s also easy to look better than Bush at this point.
SMH more politics and rhetoric from Alden and Franz
More ramblings of nothingness and empty promises from CIG.
The AG has also written multiple reports on the state of CIG financial management reports yet there is no real commitment from the Deputy Governor and Premier to address those recommendations. There have been no Consolidated Financial Statements produced for CIG since 2004. Do they have something to hide or is it systemic incompetence and a$$ covering by the leadership?
The lack of accountability and leadership within the CIG as stated in multiple AG’s reports speaks volumes about CIG priorities and its ability to implement recommendations that aren’t politically motivated.
I understand that Alden was only elected as Premier in May 2013, but how long has Franz been the Deputy Governor?
A reminder of Caymans elected leadership:
PPM 2005-09
UDP 2009-13
PPM 2013-present
Nothing seems to change except the members of parliament that get rotated in positions of power every four years. They all say the same things but nothing changes or gets better. The Civil Service is a UNION with no accountability which facilitates Corruption and Maladministration at the highest levels. Sadly, it does not matter who gets elected the Caymans are in trouble.
There is one BIG difference…with the PPM you don’t have to worry that they are dipping into Cayman’s cash register to fund a private luxurious lifestyle at the public’s expense.
Both are morally corrupt and spend thrifts. PPM made Madam JuJu the Speaker of LA and its newest member of the Progressives. Well so much for standards and BIG differences between the parties!
You should be made to prove your ignorant statements.
And the politicians are all narrow minded village Caymanians representing only a third of the tax paying population. Mostly bible bashing men who even if they think different would not say so in case they lost their seat.
And you had McKeewa, Linford, Gilbert, Frank and Roy from 2001 – 2005 as well.
Ok then if Govt is going to take action on the NBF findings – I will just browse the Caymanite Pink site so as not to get bored while waiting…
What about making arrests and pressing charges for abuse of office and blatant corruption?
What happened in Turks again? Its coming people.
Mouth can say anything once it learn to talk. SMH
thank you Premier and Deputy Governor- the easy thing would have been to ignore the recomemndations but you have stood up for good goverance and accoutablity. I read that the EY report is being taken forward and we all know the Miller Shaw report was rubbish!! stop complaining about everything zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I’ll believe this when I see it. If they go after NBF they’re going to have to go after all the other nice little scams that channel public money into the pockets of the select few. Once you start that it’s going be never-ending.
“The Cayman Islands is steeped in corruption.”
Be careful of speaking the truth, last one was threathened!
Steeped in corruption??? Ah, yes. But to avoid any negativity there is a large supply of rugs.
It will take them ages to implement, they will need to find and put in all the gaps and holes where they can get “get out of jail free cards” in case they feel the need to do the same themselves…
what about implementing recommednations of miller shaw and e&y reports????