THE planned forensic audit to be conducted into the finances of City Hall for the period April 1, 2015, to October 31, 2018, is expected to now move forward, with the last of the necessary documents handed over to the Audit Office (AO) last week.

Current Acting Town Clerk, Sherry Jerrick, is said to have handed over the last of the necessary financial documents requested to the Local Government Commission (LGC) last week, and the documents have since been forwarded to the Auditor General, Deodat Sharma.

LGC Chairman, Mortimer Mingo, confirmed that the documents have been handed over and noted that the Commission looks forward to seeing the completion of the audit.

“We have forwarded it to the Auditor General. The Commission is eagerly awaiting to see what’s the outcome of the audit, and looks forward to bringing closure to that recommendation of the COI,” related LGC Chairman, Mortimer Mingo.

The documents were requested from Jerrick, who became acting Town Clerk after the LGC was forced to send then acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry-Munroe, on administrative leave earlier this month due to her continued refusal to hand over the documents.
The audit was requested by the Local Government Commission (LGC), after one was recommended in the report from the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into City Hall operations, which was conducted last year. Earlier this year the LGC wrote the Audit Office to conduct the audit.

The Audit Office later informed the Commission that necessary financial documents were not being submitted by the acting Town Clerk, even after AO held a meeting with the Harry-Munroe in March about the documents being needed.

“The AG informed me that there was a meeting, in March, with the Town Clerk, and the acting City Treasurer [John Douglas], and at that meeting a schedule was drawn up as it relates to the handing over of documents and records requested. But the Council had not provided any of the documents to the AO,” Mingo had explained.

The Commission wrote Harry-Munroe requesting that she submit the documents directly to the LGC for them to hand over to the AO. However, she refused. Harry-Munroe transmitted that acting City treasurer, John Douglas, indicated that the financial documents may be too sensitive to hand over to the LGC.

Some additional financial documents are said to have later been sent to the AO.
The Commission, which comprises the Chairman and six other commissioners, unanimously agreed to conduct an investigation into the matter and send Harry-Munroe on administrative leave.

Over the years, the AO had continually been hampered in carrying out of forensic audits at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council due to the non- submission of documents.