Opposition party AFC has urged that steps be taken to appoint a substantive Auditor General, while also warning that a conflict of interest would result from the promotion of Gitanjanli Singh—wife of Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh—to a key post in the Auditor General’s office.
According AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan, advertising should begin for applicants to fill the Auditor General post, which has been held by Deodat Sharma, in an acting capacity, for more than seven years.
“Why perpetuate a system of acting and acting and acting?” Ramjattan asked at a news conference. “It is also now time to have, as the country’s Auditor General, a suitably-qualified Auditor General and we are calling on the Public Service Commis-sion to take steps to advise the President on the matter,” he said, noting that qualified applicants could be sought locally, regionally and internationally.
Under Article 224 of the Constitution, the Auditor General is appointed by the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Public Service Commission.
The AFC also noted that Sharma has sought to make a number of promotions in the Audit Office, including making Singh the Audit Director. But the party said in a statement that it immediately creates a situation in which Dr. Ashni Singh, as Finance Minister, holds the responsibility for the preparation and certification of the financial statements of the country, while his spouse, Gitanjali Singh, being the only qualified accountant among the senior management in the Audit Office, is integrally involved in auditing and expressing an opinion on them. “This is a clear conflict of interest and a breach of the professional code of accountants,” the party said.
Ramjattan also cautioned against a conflict of interest in the event that Mrs Singh applies for the post of Auditor General if it is advertised. “…We want independent professionals… and not conflicts of interest inherent in a man and wife situation is a conflict of interest,” he said, while making it clear that he and by extension the AFC had nothing personal against her; rather they feel that the country wants to see evidence of transparency in the organisation. “It is nothing personal… because some people might say we want to take away work of Gitanjali [Singh] that is not so … justice must not only be done it must be seen to be done,” he added.
