THE APNU+AFC’s one-term rule was characterised by a wanton abuse of taxpayers’ dollars. This reality is reflected in the yearly reports published by Auditor General, Deodat Sharma.
On to now, efforts are still being made by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic to right some of the wrongs committed by the coalition.

The report of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the public account for Guyana for the year 2016 was recently laid in the National Assembly.
In that report, the PAC noted concern about persistent non-adherence to store regulations, Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, and Procurement Act by the accounting officers. The committee also noted instances where accounting officers and engineering staff were cited for signing off on incomplete and unverified projects.

Among other infractions was the non-delivery of items after full payments were made by several budget agencies. For instance, the PAC noted the recurring issue of the non-delivery of the close-circuit television (CCTV) system.

This issue has been featured in the Auditor General’s report since 2015. Back then, Sharma noted that some $19.108 million was paid to an overseas supplier on December 14, 2015, for the procurement of supplies and installation of CCTV systems at the National Intelligence Centre.

At the time of reporting in September 2016, the ministry was still not in receipt of the items.  In that instance, the government said that the matter was engaging the attention of the then Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams for advice.

While that was the position in 2015, by 2016 when the Auditor General raised the issue, the new response was that “the matter was brought to the attention of the Minister of State” who was Joseph Harmon.

By 2017, the matter went back to Williams’ Office. The update then was that the Attorney General’s Office said that a background check is being carried out on the company locally and then overseas.

In 2018 and 2019, the response was that “the ministry continues to follow up with the Attorney General’s Office on this matter.”
Up to when the APNU+AFC left office in 2020, Williams and Harmon were unable to provide a way forward.

When the matter was raised after the audit in 2021, the Office of the President stated that these matters were raised at PAC’s meetings on July 14, 2021 and February 21, 2022, respectively.
The report of the PAC reflects an update to the effect that the supplier has filed for bankruptcy.

The Office of the President has written the Finance Secretary on June 14, 2022, for guidance on the way forward.