Region Ten Chairman Sharma Solomon has requested information on the sacking of the regional Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) coordinator, saying that he would be seeking to have charges instituted if fraud allegations are substantiated.
Solomon said he is in full support of the action if indeed there were fraudulent deeds on the part of the coordinator Abit Ragabeir, but he is upset over the apparent disregard by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), which did not inform him of the firing although he is the Chairman of the regional D&I Board.
Stabroek News was told that the MoA and the NDIA had been conducting a countrywide review of the D&I programme and it was during this process that the operations in Region 10 raised suspicions. It has been alleged that at a meeting of all the D&I workers in the region, a roll call revealed that approximately 25% of the names on the regional payroll actually existed.
PPP/C councillor Phillip Fordyce has since been contracted as the D&I coordinator for Region 10.
Solomon said that he has requested formal information from the MoA and the NDIA on the investigations conducted and the justification for the actions taken. He said that if in fact there were fraudulent activities, he would be pressing to ensure that charges are laid. He noted that there were several complaints against Ragabeir prior to her being let go.
Meanwhile, Solomon also insisted that the system of management, especially in the areas of payments and other financial activities, needs to be re-organized. He said that the D&I is a part of the government system and as such all payments and other monies for the D&I should be passed through the regional finance department and not at a person to person level as is currently the situation.
