Imbert hopes Auditor General meets soon with Central Bank on Special Report
There is still tension between Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Auditor General Jaiwantee Ramdass…
Speaking in the Lower House of Parliament today, Minister Imbert said the Government disagrees with the contents of the new Special Report of the Auditor General.
“In conclusion, it is the Government’s view that the Special Report of the Auditor General on the Public Accounts for the Financial Year 2023, only adds fuel to the fire, creates more unnecessary public confusion, and does not satisfactorily address the core issue that arose with the Auditor General’s original report on the 2023 accounts,” the Finance Minister told the Parliament, “which is a $2.6 Billion discrepancy in revenue, and which in our view has been comprehensively cleared up. Thank you.”
The issue stems from the Auditor General’s Annual Report where she noted $2.6 Billion were missing.
On March 25, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance informed the Auditor General orally that an error was discovered, and the revenue was understated.
Speaking in the Parliament today, Minister Imbert said he hopes the Auditor General can meet with the Central Bank to discuss the issues that caused the problem in the first place.
However, she is yet to do so.
“I am advised that to date, while it has received an outline of the scope of the proposed examination from a subordinate in the Auditor General’s Department, the bank has not received any correspondence from the Auditor General delegating authority to her staff to act on her behalf on this matter,” Minister Imbert reported to Parliament. “Nor has it received a proposed time or date for the earlier requested meeting between the Auditor General and the Governor.”
And now the Finance Minister hopes a meeting between the Central Bank Governor and the Auditor General can put much of the tensions to rest.
Minister Imbert says he hopes the Auditor General will meet—or delegate the Deputy Auditor General to meet—in writing.
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