-alleges several irregularities

THE Linden Mayor and Town Council, led by the Opposition, have been accused of several alleged irregularities during Town Week 2024. In response, Lennox Gasper, the Municipality’s Town Clerk, has formally requested the Auditor-General to conduct a comprehensive investigation into these issues.

While the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) has accused Gasper of “sabotaging” the work of the Council and “allegedly refusing to sign off on legitimate payments for citizens of Linden”, Gasper on Friday provided evidence showing otherwise and has said that he is being “bullied” to sign payments that lack proper documentation.

In May of this year, an internal memorandum was sent to Gasper requesting two payments for the event’s coordinator, which was $1.5 million.
However, in July, Gasper penned a letter to the coordinator to remind him that he was engaged to oversee the management of Linden Town Week 2024 activities from April 26th, 2024, to May 6th, 2024, with specific responsibilities and tasks.
These include: the presentation of the event plan, preparation and presentation of a detailed budget including estimated revenue and expenditures, management of Town Week operations in accordance with the council’s approval, etc.
Subsequent examination of performance in relation to planned objectives revealed a notable deficit in revenue and excessive spending, both of which were the coordinator’s responsibility.
The failure to request adjustments to planned activities or estimates was also called attention to.

“Particularly noteworthy is the budgeted revenue estimate, showing a negative variance of approximately $7,000,000,” the letter read.
However, before this, in March, Gasper said that he raised several of these concerns in a letter to the Mayor of Linden, Sharma Solomon.

The letter to the Mayor read: “…Firstly, according to clause 2 of the contract, the coordinator responsible for the Linden Town Week is yet to officially submit his official list of sponsors and the activities that they have committed to sponsoring. It has been observed that the coordinator has already sent out letters to potential sponsors without obtaining the necessary approval from the administration. We kindly request the coordinator to promptly submit the list of sponsors and provide copies of the letters sent for our records.
Furthermore, it has come to our attention that we are still awaiting the proposal document from the coordinator. This document is expected to outline the organising, promoting, and executing aspects of Linden Town Week 2024, as specified in the coordinator’s job description. The timely submission of this proposal is crucial for the proper planning and execution of the event.”

Additionally, he said there was a lack of requisite documentation such as identification in April when payment was requested for a sum of $300,000, which was contributed by Reunion Gold for the Linden Town Week 2024 Essay Competition.