A forensic audit of the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) for the period January 1, 2012 to May 31, 2015 has uncovered financial improprieties, including fraud in the management of its fertilizer program and in the construction of its office building, for which a police probe has been recommended.
The audit report, which was dispatched to the Minister of Finance last month, also accused then General Manager Nizam Hassan as well as his successor, Ida Sealey-Adams, of frustrating the work of the auditor, Saykar Boodhoo.
The audit also found questionable payments to fund trips for the then Minister of Agriculture and payment for chartering of aircraft by the Ministry of Agriculture without invoice, date or passenger details. It described wasteful spending as purchasing alcoholic beverages and the acquisition of an overpowered standby generator. It also found that the embezzlement of over half a million by staff was not turned over to the police or the Auditor General and instead the offending party was given the opportunity to repay the embezzled amount.
