LEADER of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton on Thursday dodged questions on why the party’s accounts have not been audited under his watch, and when the party’s financial records will next be audited.

Norton is currently facing much heat over recent claims by PNCR Treasurer Faaiz Mursaline about financial impropriety that included the signing of blank checks, lack of supporting financial documents for expenditures, and the lack of an audit of the party’s finances.

At his weekly virtual press conference, Norton was questioned about these concerns. Though he said the party has an auditor, he did not explain why an audit has not been done.

“The Party’s Constitution states that if you’re going to appoint an auditor, you must appoint it at the first General Council after a Congress. If the Party doesn’t make a decision to change the auditors, you don’t have to appoint a new one. The present auditor that has been identified by the Party and continues to be the audit of the Party is Nigel Hinds,” Norton said.

According to Mursaline in a previous interview with this publication, the Party’s finances have not been audited since July 2020. In an invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle, former PNCR General Secretary Amna Ally confirmed that prior to Norton taking over its leadership, the Party’s finances were audited every year.

The damning allegations made by Mursaline have led to Party members calling for a thorough investigation into the claims, particularly on the lack of audits.

The situation has seen a No Confidence Motion being brought against Norton by the PNCR’s Florida Chapter, which alleges that Norton has “severely tarnished” the Party’s image, and oversaw “a speedy downward spiral” of the PNCR in just over a year that he has been in the leadership seat.

When probed on whether he feels a need to confirm that an audit for previous years will be done to help return some trust in the handling of the Party’s finances, Norton only said that the situation will be dealt with internally by the Party.

“The Party is always prepared to audit the accounts. When I became leader of the Party, our accounts were not computerized; we have completed computerising them, and our accounts will be audited. I may submit to you that our Party has had a history of preparing audited accounts, but not circulating it in the public domain. And we will continue to do that. I think we are in a better position to be accountable,” Norton said.