ACTING Town Clerk Sharon Harry has announced that a forensic audit into the operations of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) will commence on Monday, March 18, 2019.
She made the disclosure when councillors met for their fortnightly statutory meeting at City Hall on Monday.

Councillor Bishram Kuppen, who has led calls for a forensic audit over the years, told this publication that he was hoping the audit would cover all of the necessary areas at the City Council.

“I have been calling for such an audit since 2016 because I see it as a requirement to set this Council straight; to reset it. There is a lot that is not proven and tested, and we know with the corruption and the mismanagement of the City, a forensic audit is important,” he stated.

Kuppen said he welcomes the announcement and is hoping the audit will be robust. “The terms of reference should be really exhausted so that when it comes there, it is not only offering where the loopholes are, but recommendations can be made to improve the City Council,” he said.

It is not clear who will be conducting the audit but it is possible for the Auditor General to contract other forensic auditors to get the work done. City councillors were not provided any details on the audit, except the date on which it will commence.

Auditor General Deodat Sharma last year announced a forensic audit of the M&CC since the management of the municipality had failed to provide important financial information to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Members of the committee had said it was difficult to access information from the Council.