PAC to examine latest reports
(CNS): The chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has confirmed that members will be meeting this week to examine the latest of the auditor general’s damning reports. Moses Kirkconnell has called a meeting of the specialist legislative committee for Wednesday when it will be looking at the reports on the unlawful spending on paving private parking lots in Cayman Brac, the wasted money at CINICO and the failure of government departments to address the potential risk to the public purse with the government’s fuel card system. This will be the first meeting of the committee since last year.
The committee will be examining three reports published by the Office of the Auditor General that show the continued mismanagement of the public funds by various government departments. In the report regarding the Brac paving published by Alastair Swarbrick’s office last month he revealed that more than half a million dollars was spent on paving 56 private lots without legislative authority.
Although the Legislative Assembly had approved spending on paving public roads on the Sister Islands, from the $3 million spent on that project, $521,090 was unlawfully spent on commercial, profit making businesses from the people’s money.
The deputy premier, whose ministry was responsible for making the decision to pave commercial lots as part of the project without authority, has not yet commented on Swarbrick’s findings and has stated that she would be taking legal advice before speaking out.
According to the auditor general’s report on CINICO, the government’s health insurance company, some $30 million of public money was at risk every year because of shocking failures in the management CINICO and a plethora of weaknesses. From managers appointing case management firms without the company or board’s knowledge to a paucity of documents to show how CINICO manages overseas cases, the report reveals a catalogue of poor governance, leaving public money andthe government owned company open to abuse.
In his most recent report, Swarbrick and the audit team examined how much government had learned from the internal audit unit’s findings in 2010 about the poor management and risks associated with the government’s fuel car d system. Unfortunately, the return to 'Gasboygate' found government had learned very little and public cash remained at risk.
Swarbrick said that some of the original five agencies audited the first time the office examined the fuel card system had made some improvements but the next ten top government department users of fuel had done nothing to mitigate the risk of abuse with the system.
Despite the fact that four of the first five agencies audited were part of the same ministry the message delivered to public works, the Water Authority and the National Roads Authority failed to reach other departments in the Ministry for District Administration, placing Deputy Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly again at the centre of the mismanagement of public funds.
Category: Politics
I see you got that picure of Miss Julie riding her Vote Harvester back up.
Moses, Could your commitee recommend that the attorney general takes action against the MLA responsible under the new anti-corruption law.
Its not only the first class flights across government and the various authorities that's an abuse of our public money, it is also the cost of hotels…sometimes well over $500p/n. This are our civil servant who are supposed to be serving our best interest and not lording it over us regular working folks. Mr Swarbrick, could you please look into this as well? It reeks of corruption that our civil servants feel entitled to abuse the public purse in this manner.
As a regular visitor to Cayman Brac can someone please explain the connection in these comments to the Power & Light Co? Does Mr. Kirkconnely have a significant shareholding in the P&L Co? Was the parking lot of the P&L company paved? Who pays the electricity bill for street lighting I see on private land near the various bars? Does this represent a conflit of interest for Mr Kirkconnel?
"GO MOSES and THE P.A.C.!
First the UDP Status Gold Rush.
Now the UDP Paving Gold Rush!
What Boom Bust will the UDP do next?
Come on UDP and Dart cheerleaders, PR Army and paid letter writers busy, get to work fixing these reports too.
Continue to fool some of the people some of the time, but ya naa fool all of the people all of the time.
Gee you really think that the problem was not Mr. Dan Dougay?
If not him, then who is the person or persons the Premier and Deputy Premier can blame for this mess up?
Mr. Swarbick, if you like your life in the Cayman Islands then do not do the job that you are paid todo!
Maybe he can call for a means test for all government grants/handouts — especially in the areas of education and health!
Yes, good students deserve support, but it their parents can afford to educate them, why should government give them big scholarships?
Hmmm
This Government we have now is only serving themselves and not the people of the Cayman Islands, they use the Government funds as if its their own piggy bank. This has to stop and stop now. I agree about the flying first class. I've seen them all do it. If they want to fly first class pay from you own wallet or purse and not the people of CI's. Come on, you so-called MLA's should be setting an example to the young people of our islands.
I wish Juliana have to pay from her pocket every red cent she has spent on paving those private parking lots.
FYI Juliana; all Churches should have a building fund where they use that money to take care and maintain the Church. It's not the responsiblity of the Government to do so. But we're not stupid we know elections coming up and you're looking for the votes. So why not start with the Churches right? Earn your votes the honest way, prove to us your the right person for the job.
I DON'T THINK THESE PEOPLE WILL LEARN UNTIL THEY HAVE TO PAY BACK EVERY BIT OF THE MONEY THEY'VE TAKEN.
Don't waste any more money on this abuse. It just won't accomplish anything. The government here is totally corrupt and there is no easy way to fix it. Oh and yes, everytime I fly CA to Miami the various government officials are always in first class, never seen a one in coach. Does that really surpirse you?
I beg to differ, I have been on flts and seen Mike Adams and Moses Kirkconnell in coach !
I am sick, sick, sick of them squandering OUR money while we can’t even pay for basic needs!
I pay nearly $10 per day for gas, just to go back and forth to work, where I work my backside off for $45 per day. Then, they f-ing steal paving? Steal gas? Pay GLM millions? Fly first class? Double dip? Who pays for this? My kids!
The liars, thieves, and despots of this govt. need to be brought to pay for theiractions! Enough is enough!
I could not agree more. Government is supposed to SERVE the people, not their political goals, not their buddies, not their churches.
Let's look at the basics. We expect our government to provide good education….this has failed! We have pretty buidlings, but failing children and (yes, let's admit failing parents) but where the government could have succeeded is finding a way to provide the best edcuation system. Not the woeful bloated deadwood administration we have now.
Instead of pretty paved roads for churches (jobs for the unedcuated workers I am sure) we could have put that money into vocational programs so instead of giving a man a fish, teach him to fish for himself….
Instead of fancy trips for cronies we could have spent that money on MORE educators- real degreed youth counselors (not helpers) to ADD to full time afterschool care and emotional growth programs.
If every dime spent on themselves or their buddies was put into education and scholarships, we would have a world class country.
It is not too late. Throw the bums out (ALL of them: UDP & PPM alike) and DEMAND accountability, sensible spending, and focus on our youth and elderly instead of their own pockets and pals, period.
Common $en$e
Start by voting yes to OMOV on July 18th.
If you could only hold them responsible (yes that means jail time, losing the job and pension etc, and or make them pay it all back(like they would) you would soon run out of criminals and only have the good guys left to vote for. But if one goes then where will it all end. How many Caymanians have been at the recieving end of the corruption? Hundreds? You will need to build another jail.
This should have been stopped before. Why wait until the entire parking lots was paved? God knows that Cayman Brac was hot enough, did not need all that asphalt to make it hotter. I have a bright idea lets change the name of Cayman Brac Captain Mose to ASPHALT BRAC.
Why are you so intent of pinning this on Moses? Clearly is was Ms Julie's doing.
You did not read andunderstand buddy. i was only asking my good ole friend Captain Mose to fix the problem. The two year olds know that that the paving is julies toy. However Captain Moses was only being asked a joking question and that was to have the Brac renamed to Asphalt Brac.
I certainly hope that they also investigate the previous board of directors at CINICO for their ineptitude!
And just how many experts sit on this specialist committee. How many police, lawyers and accountants sit on this committee that are capable of understanding the AGs report. Answer Zilch. Reminds me of the board of UCCI when all that money went missing thru Saad. Can it be that difficult to find men of steel who are of integrity and take no prisoners. I know a few but Macmisick would not approve.
Who was on that Board?
Also who are the members of the NRA?
Let us root out all of the members of these boards that only go to meetings for the food that is served and to fatten they pockets at the same time.
"…failed to reach other departments in the Ministry for District Administration, placing Deputy Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly again at the centre of the mismanagement of public funds."
And lets not forget the Chief Officer, whose lawful duty it is, not only to advise the Hon. Minister on what is legal or not, but also to direct the policies and finances of the departments (DEH, PWD, DVES).
It is the Chief Officer's responsibility under law to ensure that proper policies and procedures are put in place, and adhered to, for all departments. Any fault of the department heads is ultimately the responsibility of the Chief Officer, that's why Chief Officers get paid the big bucks.
Who was the Chief Officer again when all these things occurred?
16:02, step forward Mr Kearney Gomez, who according to his farewell email to the civil service on his retirement (which embarrassed us civil servants) was responsible for everything in Cayman in the last 30 years which was positive (other than reform of the civil service which he was TOTALLY against).
I figured there would be an effort to lay off blame to the Chief Officer so Ms. Julie might be exonerated. Isn’t ms. Julie a qualified lawyer herself? Why would she a non-legally qualified Chief Officer to tell her this was illegal?
And what happens after you examine the reports, Mr. KirkConnell? More sweeping under the rug, or will your committee actually DO something to ensure these ridiculous abuses of our government coffers stop?
Just an idle inquiry, but is Juliana driving the same machine as before or is this another one?
(Either way, what a woman!)
I have that photo as wallpaper on my phone. It's a daily inspiration to me that God will take care of you, if you know the right people.
I thought Mrs.Bull was the toughest woman I'd ever met (and been too afraid to leave, tell you the truth) until I discovered Juliana. Boy, what a woman.
How will Moses explain – Power & Light Free Paving?
Accountable??? The electorates deserve crediable and decent people who work for them – not sheeps wth wool over their eyes or snakes who changes their skin when it suits them!!
A disgusted Bracker.
How crediable are you? The Power & Light parking lots have NOT been paved. Sixyears ago the last government promised to pave the road to the new plan site and that has still not been done. Just so you understand The parking lot at the new bluff site has NOT been paved nor the parking lot at the old plant site.
Prove It!!!
Know your Man and his principles you might just be Shocked! Fools continue to follow fools – why is he now going to worry about a situation after the FACT! Why didhe not STAND FIRM when the free paving started, after all he is the opposition!!! Why after a year is he going to make a stance against actions that were in his face everyday!!!
Come on fools see through the black clouds……..
What difference would it have made if he said anything? It didn't stop Hurricane Hilton and Moses stood up about that.
Dear disgusted Bracker
If you were more truthful then just maybe people would vote for you.
Dear Sheep,
People cannot vote for me because if you could take the wool off your eyes, I have never ran for government and if I did I am sure I would do a better job than a snake..sssssssss~~~~.
Amen!
I find it hard to believe that you would do a good job seeing that you cannot even understand the article nor get your facts straight. Then again someone from West Bay has had a long political career with a similar skill set. Just try to not be so sour just because your star was not successful the last two times, Yeah?
Clear, forceful comment. (However, check your spacing.)
I hope PAC members wear capes and are issued with handcuffs and/or a license to kill so we can expect some action. Otherwise this is probably a meeting to discuss forming a committee to explore the possibility of appointing someone to read the report and submit a recommendation to be considered at the next week in 2030.
Moses – there has been so much swept under the carpet in the past that the ceiling is starting to bulge upward. Please don't allow them to try to push any more under. Bring the issues into the light of day.
Until someone is held accountable and made to pay; this type of behaviour will continue.
These are simple growing pains.
Cayman is growing up. Gone are the days when the public put its trust in a few leading citizens who managed public funds by using a wad of cash in their back pocket. This worked well as long as the leading citizens were ethical and fair; I am sure than most of them were.
Now, the population and economy has outgrown the old quaint form of governance that suited the culture of "the Land that Time Forgot". Now it is time for a new generation of professionally trained and educated Caymanians to step up and run the government with a first world mind set where proper checks and balances are in place.
Cayman will survive and hopefully prosper.
We need intelligent and educated professionals in government as you say, but only those that are also ethical and fair.
We need good business people in government who knows how to manage money. Not barefooted girls who only learnt how to count their salarys. When you do not have to work for money you will spend it like how you drink water. Lets hope we get some good contestants this coming election such as that handsome and smart young Tibbetts guy. Go for it Bo Bo, we are going to put you in with our one and only Captain Mose. Really tired now of all the old political tricks that are costing us.
And the powers that be will not be around to answer any questions, guaranteed.