Flags Governance, Financial and Procurement Failures in Report

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS –

Kwasi Thompson – Member Of Parliament, East Grand Bahamas
“It took months of sittings and meant that we had no summer break, unlike the rest of our parliamentary colleagues.”

Kwasi Thompson – Member Of Parliament, East Grand Bahamas
“There were significant conclusions and recommendations made in the report.”

After months of hearings, members of the Public Accounts Committee at a press conference said the report is finally ready.

Their review of the 50th Carifta Games uncovered significant weaknesses in how the event was governed and how public funds were managed.

The committee’s report points first to what it describes as a deficient governance framework.

Among its findings: no executed events organization agreement, unclear roles and responsibilities, weak oversight and accountability mechanisms, and key financial oversight personnel not consistently involved in major decisions.

The report found that concerns about spending and funding requirements had been raised before the games were completed, including meetings involving senior officials, but the committee says the governance framework did not provide an effective mechanism for intervention.

It also highlights financial and procurement concerns.

The report also raises questions over an approximately $500,000 reimbursement arrangement, saying the committee could not find documentation establishing who authorized it, when approval was given, or the process used to ultimately reimburse the funds.

And with this document finally tabled, the opposition says the Carifta review is not where its scrutiny ends.

Opposition Leader and Public Accounts Committee Chairman Michael Pintard says the committee will now turn its attention to allegations surrounding missing funds from the National Investment Fund.

Michael Pintard – Chairman, Public Accounts Committee

“The Free National Movement has been in touch with attorneys to initiate legal action on this matter.”

Pintard says that review will include questions of whether there could be criminal liability, whether any statutory or constitutional provisions were breached, and whether legal action can be used to compel the government to disclose how the funds were handled.