IC urges ministry, CMU review after state vehicles vanish
Published:Saturday | February 10, 2024 | 12:10 AM
Director of Investigation at the Integrity Commission (IC) Kevon Stephenson has recommended that the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service carry out a review to determine the loss to the Government stemming from the alleged negligence of public officers which resulted in the disappearance of four vehicles belonging to the state.
The vehicles were in the custody of the then Ministry of Transport and Mining and the Caribbean Maritime University.
The IC director of investigation has also recommended that Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison should take “such action as may be necessary and appropriate to recover” the loss.
After conducting an investigation, Stephenson concluded that four government vehicles belonging to the then Ministry of Transport and Mining that were loaned to the CMU cannot be accounted for by either the ministry or the institution.
The recommendations are contained in an investigation report, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, more than two weeks after it was sent by the IC on January 22. The Speaker’s ruling is that investigation reports from the IC should be tabled in Parliament as “soon as possible”.
ACCOUNTABLE OFFICERS
The director of investigation also concludes that former head of the CMU, Professor Fritz Pinnock; Dr Eron McLean, director, planning and development, CMU; and Elaine Hayden, former director of projects and strategic initiatives, CMU, were the accountable officers of the university at the material time and were responsible for the proper management and accounting of the CMU’s assets, including transport vehicles.
He said that the named university personnel, in their capacity as accountable officers, failed to maintain adequate records regarding the use and safekeeping of Government of Jamaica motor vehicles in accordance with their legal responsibilities under the Financial Administration and Audit Act and the Revised Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Policy for the Public Sector.
He also recommends that, if not yet implemented, the CMU implements a policy which addresses the acquisition, maintenance and disposal of motor vehicles and other Government of Jamaica assets consistent with the FAA Act and the Government of Jamaica Revised Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Policy for the Public Sector.
Additionally, the CMU should ensure that the policy provides clear and unambiguous instructions regarding the maintenance and disposal of motor vehicles.