In the wake of the controversy over the $90M set aside for the police force during the elections, the PNCR has formally called for the Auditor General to mount a probe of the matter.
Saying that answers provided by Minister Clement Rohee on the matter have been “scanty”, the PNCR – the main partner in A Partnership for National Unity, says that it is also troubled by his reference to the Central Police Welfare Fund when questioned in Parliament.
The PNCR release follows:
The publication of a cheque, for $320,000, written to Asst. Commissioner David Ramnaraine might have satisfied the general public that the Asst. Commissioner did receive some money. The issue is whether this was part of the $3.8Mn allocated for E&F Division, out of the $90.0Mn, for the feeding of ranks in-lying for the 28th November 2011 General and Regional Elections.
Apart from Asst. Commissioner Ramnaraine’s explanation that this cheque was received some time after 28th November 2012, the People’s National Congress Reform is even more concerned that the cheque, written to Asst. Commissioner Ramnaraine, was drawn on the Central Police Welfare Fund.
It should be noted that, in all of the responses from the Guyana Police Force and that of the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Clement Rohee, on Thursday 15th March 2012, there was no mention of the Central Police Welfare Fund.
The public was told that the $90Mn was used to cover expenses for three categories of expenses which exceeded the amount approved in the 2011 National Budget. This included transportation and meals for ranks in-lying for the 28th November 2011 General and Regional Elections, with a balance of approximately $10.0Mn remaining unspent. It was only at the Sitting of the National Assembly, on Thursday 15th March 2012, when A.P.N.U Member of Parliament, Ms. Volda Lawrence questioned the Minister of Home Affairs, that mention was made of monies ($10.5Mn) being allocated to the Central Police Welfare Fund.
When asked what was the relationship between the Central Police Welfare Fund and feeding our Policemen and women the Minister did not give an answer. The Minister must come clean on the spending of this $90.0Mn allocation for our men and women who risk their lives each day for all of Guyana.
The Minister of Home Affairs and the Commissioner of the Guyana Police Force needs to provide the Guyanese people with a very clear and unambiguous explanation of how the $90.0Mn was allocated and spent. The various claims give the impression that $43.0Mn of the $90.0Mn was transferred to the Police Central Welfare Fund with $8M spent on travelling, further that of the amounts transferred to this fund some $3.8Mn represented meals for in-lying ranks of the E & F Division. Given the scanty answers presented by the Minister on the many questions asked on this matter and the several variances in amounts actually allocated to divisions E & F there is need for an independent investigation into this matter.
A simple addition of the various amounts quoted suggest that the overall total is more like $100.5Mn as follows: $39.0Mn for under budgeted expenses; $8.0Mn for transportation; $10.0Mn unspent; $33.0Mn for meals and the added $10.5Mn to the Police Central Welfare fund.
This leave the PNCR with no alternative but to request, in the interest of transparency and accountability, that the Auditor General be asked to immediately conduct an audit of this allocation of funds to the Guyana Police Force.
