PERSONNEL at the Transport and Harbours Departmen (T&HD), Parika Stelling, are peeved that moves may be afoot to cover-up a major fraud uncovered following a recent audit.

According to reports, an audit of the Department’s books was conducted during the second quarter of 2017 at its office at Parika, on the East Bank of Essequibo.
When the audit was completed, it was discovered that the receipt books were tampered with. The fraud may have been in progress since April, 2016 but came to a sudden halt in May this year.
Reports are that several cashiers, who are still on the job, have been fingered in the fraudulent activity.

A source familiar with the situation, told the Guyana Chronicle that the cashiers would issue receipts to truck drivers who utilise the services of the Essequibo River ferry service, offered by the T&HD.
The cashiers would then remove the carbon copied leaves from the books “so it would look as if no trucks pass,” the source said.
Given the period over which the activity was happening, the T&HD may have lost millions of dollars. A source at Parika noted that the auditors brought the matter to the attention of the Department’s head but nothing came out of it.

The T&HD operates several ferry vessels along the Essequibo River daily. The service is seen as critical, as it bridges the economic link along the waterway.