Renuka Singh
The Ministry of National Security has failed to produce documents to support spending over $1.2 billion over the past five years. The latest report produced by the Auditor General reveals the startling figures unaccounted for at the Ministry of National Security from 2013.
A list of the missing contract agreements was detailed in the latest Auditor General's report and attached the budget bundles given out to Parliamentarians and Senators after Monday's budget presentation by Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
The three important pages of the bundle give a summary of the ministry's expenditure, divisions, and projects but also lists the data and figures that were never presented to the Auditor General.
According to the listing, the Ministry of National Security failed to produce details for a whopping $1 billion in contracts agreements that it had entered into but were not yet completed.
Aside from that startling figure, the Auditor General's report also listed another $891 million in contracts and contract agreements that were never produced for the audit.
Under the heading "inventory control" the Auditor General noted that $203 million in contracts were "not seen entered in the Contract Registers required by Financial Regulations 129".
At the National Operations Centre (NOC) another $183 million "were not entered in a contract register as required".
The report also found discrepancies with regards to expenditure under the ministry where some $45 million was missing. The ministry provided the Auditor General with documents to support the spending of $72 million, yet some $117 million was actually spent by the ministry.
"Differences amounting to $45,717,123.85 were noted between the total commitments of $117,938,698.60 according to the Appropriation Account and the audited figure of $72,221,573.22 as per the Vote Books," the report noted.
A Vote Book is the ministry's record of expenditure.
The report also noted that $1 million was spent on six contract agreements for Base Infrastructure at a camp in La Romain in south Trinidad, Felicity in Chaguanas, and Forres Park in Claxton Bay. Once again though, no documentation on that spending was provided to the Auditor General.
The ministry also failed to produce the contract agreements it had with several car rental companies and security companies. Those missing contract agreement totalled $1.2 million.
The report noted that $12.6 million should not have been included on the Appropriation Account but was included for unknown reasons.
"They were either completed in previous financial years or not approved by Cabinet."
Six National Security ministers in office between 2013-2018
In the timeline of the Auditor General's report, 2013 to present, there have been six national security ministers. Under the former People's Partnership government businessman Jack Warner was in charge of that ministry from June 2012-April 2013.
He was replaced briefly by Emmanuel George after a reshuffle. George was Minister of National Security for just six months and by September 2013 he was replaced by current Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith. Griffith held on to that post until February 2015 when he was removed from office and replaced by Brigadier Carl Alfonso until the September 2015 general election.
Under the People's National Movement, Edmund Dillon held the post from August 2015 to August 2018 when he was replaced by Stuart Young.
The T&T Guardian reached out to the former ministers. Griffith declined to comment on "anything that happened during my time as Minister of National Security".
Dillon, Alfonso, and Young did not return phone calls and messages.
George, however, said he was unaware of the missing money from the ministry.
"But you have to know that sometimes those things are out of the ministers' hands. It is handled by the accounting team and the Permanent Secretary and then goes to the Auditor General. The minister may not even have sight of it," George said.
BOX
Role of a PS
According to the Government website, Citizens Facilitation Portal, a Permanent Secretary is responsible for gathering and analysing the evidence to support a course of action (or inaction) proposed to a minister. As a member of the Public Service top management team, the Permanent Secretary shares a collective responsibility for the management of the Public Service as a whole.
The PS also acts as policy adviser to the minister and is expected to provide objective advice on various issues, on the government’s options in dealing with them, and on the implications of each option.
According to the website, the policy advice is expected to be based on a combination of hard evidence and intuitive assessment and requires a complete understanding of the technical, legal and financial issues.