BARBADOS-Minister issues “clear the air” statement regarding NCC finances

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Minister of the Environment and National Beautification Adrian Forde says the replication in the recording of the invoices led to the National Conservation Commission (NCC) coming under scrutiny over the last few weeks as a result of a report issued by the Office of the Auditor General.

In a “clear the air” statement, Forde said that the Audit report had indicated that the NCC board of directors had been made aware that only one firm was providing services to the state-owned entity at the cost of BDS$1,553,402 (One BDS=US$0.50 cents) over the ten months January to October 2022.

Forde said that the report also stated that the NCC board chairman and the deputy were concerned about the need for more contractual arrangements and proper oversight of these services.

Forde said on receiving a report from the chairman. The Barbados Audit Office subsequently conducted a special audit.

“The Auditor General’s report, laid in Parliament, outlined its investigation’s scope and findings. Regrettably, only some of the facts of this report have been highlighted.

“It is therefore critical that Barbadians be provided with all the facts. The audit team reviewed all the financial records related to the cleaning services costs and found that there was replication in the recording of the invoices, which, in turn, led to an inflated total amount of BDS$1,553,402. In the report of the Special Audit, it was recorded that the actual cost of the services was BDS$432,641,” Forde said in his statement.

Forde said that the media also reported that a senior NCC official contracted his own company to conduct work for the national clean-up program.

He said the Auditor General’s report did indicate that the firm that provided the services was owned by a supervisor of the 360 Beautification Programme and that the person in question “is, in fact, a self-employed independent contractor who delivers supervisory services to the NCC and is not a public officer.

“The point about a conflict of interest does not apply in this situation. The Board of Directors of the NCC has therefore instituted measures to improve the procurement system,” he said, adding that the NCC board has begun identifying a new accounting system to support enhancing its financial management processes.