JAMP adjusts language, now says reports on $3 trillion in spending 'outstanding'

The Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP) has withdrawn its use of the term “unaccounted for” in its findings regarding government spending, replacing it with the phrase “financial reports for some three trillion dollars of public funds are outstanding".

The decision by the transparency advocacy group comes amid political backlash over its recent research into the failure of multiple ministries to submit their annual appropriation accounts, reports required by the Financial Administration and Audit Act.

In a statement issued on December 20, JAMP said it had never said the funds were "missing," but rather, unaccounted for due to the absence of the necessary reports. “Without submission of the required reports no audit is possible and as such no verification of accuracy, compliance with our laws, abuse or loss of funds can be conducted,” the organisation said.

The public furore arose after JAMP's executive director Jeanette Calder reported on December 4 that $3 trillion in spending remains "unaccounted for" across 16 government entities over a period of 6 to 11 years, based on a review of findings from the Auditor General's Department. 

"...for avoidance of further misinterpretation, we are withdrawing use of the term and will use the wording: 'Auditor General reports over the last 11 years indicate that financial reports for some three trillion dollars of public funds are outstanding,'" group said in its statement.

It continued: "Both The Gleaner's report (December 5, 2024) and the Minister of Finance's statement at the post-Cabinet press briefing (Wednesday, December 11, 2024) indicated that JAMP had stated and explained from the very beginning that this did not mean that funds were missing."

JAMP said despite its assurances and the minister's comments, "the misinterpretation" persisted and was distracting "from the substantive issues needing to be addressed."

At the press briefing, Finance Minister Fayval Williams acknowledged the problem of non-submission of reports to the Auditor General for auditing. “Appropriations accounts reflect the ministry's expenditure in a financial year compared against the amount approved by Parliament for the respective ministries,” Williams explained.

She said safeguards are in place to monitor taxpayer spending, such as through the submission of monthly reports and annual budgets.

"We at the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service are committed to working with ministries that are behind in terms of putting additional resources in place in order to begin to help these ministries to clear the backlog and to ensure timely completion of these reports at the standard that is required by the Auditor General. The goal, of course, is to get to that place where these appropriations accounts are done in a timely manner and submitted within four months,” she said.

Williams said she was "very happy" with JAMP's adjustment. "I also appeal to all who report on matters or make public statements to strive to be accurate because of the greater responsibility to fellow Jamaicans and to the world at large. Jamaica's reputation can be seriously tarnished and undermined by falsehood and inaccurate statements," said a post from her X social media account on Friday.

At the December launch, Calder called the situation a "$3-trillion crisis," stressing that the lack of transparency hinders the public's ability to understand how taxpayer funds are being spent.

According to JAMP's report, some of the primary offenders include the ministry of education, which has not submitted appropriation accounts for $902 billion in spending over the past nine years; the health and wellness ministry, for $695 billion over 10 years; and the labour ministry, for $53.4 billion in spending.

Additional discrepancies were found in the Jamaican Parliament, the Department of Correctional Services, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and the Office of the Prime Minister.

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