After refusing to respond to charges made against him by the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into City Hall, Town Clerk Royston King had his services terminated on Wednesday of this week.

Acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry-Munroe will continue to occupy the post until it is advertised and filled.

Chairman of the Local Government Commission (LGC), Mortimer Mingo confirmed that King’s services at City Hall were terminated on Wednesday.He said in keeping with a letter which was dispatched to him to respond to charges made against him, the body gave King an opportunity to respond to the charges.

RELATED STORIES 

• Cops, Audit Office called in on King
• LGC have their work to do and I have mine- Mayor on CoI report
• CoI hears | King leased land not owned by City Hall

The official told the Guyana Chronicle on Friday that King turned up at the meeting on Wednesday and ” did not respond verbally nor in writing to the charges.”

The LGC then took a unanimous decision to have his services terminated with immediate effect. King received a letter to this effect on Thursday.

On his last appearance before the COI , King requested more time to discuss the matters raised with his lawyer; King did not appear with an attorney on Wednesday.

Based on the number of officers cited in the COI report , the Local Government Commission is putting together  a schedule of when those officers will appear before the body.The recommendations contained in the report will be dealt with within the next two weeks, the official said.

This publication reported earlier this month that the LGC is expected to look into other recommendations contained in the COI report, including the call for a forensic audit and criminal investigations.

Mingo confirmed in that reported that the Audit Office and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have both been written to.

“We have already done that. They have acknowledged receipt and the [Audit Office] said that they will contact us shortly to work out the details of the audit,” Mingo informed the Chronicle.

The LGC had ordered the CoI into operations of the M&CC last year September, after having received numerous complaints against the municipality, several of which focused directly on the actions of King. King was sent on administrative leave from September 21 to facilitate investigations.

The CoI held public hearings from September 24 to November 2, 2018, and a report was submitted on November 30. Justice (ret’d) Cecil Kennard presided as the chairman and sole commissioner of the CoI.

The report contained some 31 recommendations, including the call for a forensic audit, criminal charges and disciplinary action against King, as well as against seven other officers of City Hall for various infractions ranging from dereliction of duty and incompetence to conspiracy.