The Finance Ministry took a tongue-lashing from opposition representatives of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday last over what the 2010 Auditor General Report referred to as “abuse(s)” of the contingencies fund, even as government members said the reported misuse was open to interpretation.
Finance Secretary Neermal Rekha and Accountant General Jawahar Persaud usually join with Auditor General Deodat Sharma to assist the committee as it scrutinises the financial records of state agencies.
On Wednesday, however, Rekha and Persaud sat side by side at the opposite end of the room, as they led their ministry’s delegation, which sought to
