NCN Berbice manager sent on admin leave; Production Coordinator fired over fraud

The National Communications Network has officially launched an investigation into the Berbice branch of the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN), after reports surfaced of an alleged fraud within the state entity.

According to a source, the NCN Branch Manager has since been sent home on administrative leave pending the investigation of money that was stolen from the entity – in excess of approximately $3M over a period of 15 months. The Production Coordinator was immediately fired after investigations reportedly found him culpable.

Speaking to Kaieteur News, the source revealed that the staff worked under instructions from the Branch Manager. There were alleged instructions provided by her to issue ‘fake’ invoices, receipts and also use ‘fake’ log sheets.

The ‘fake’ invoices were issued after a programme was aired and paid for. However, the official NCN receipt would not be provided to the customer and the money collected from the aired programme would not be booked in the official NCN books. It was also disclosed by the source that when customers visit the entity to place an advertisement, the ‘fake’ invoices are issued, the ads are aired but it is not placed in the NCN official log sheet, “Instead it is being placed on a separate sheet, instructions were given for staff members not to log the ads that are on the separate sheets in the official log book,” the source explained.

False receipts and invoices were reportedly given to a staff member at the branch to make it seem as though he was a businessman conducting business at the state entity.

The Branch Manager has been on administrative leave for the past six weeks with the investigation still ongoing. A number of staffers have also resigned.

It is not the first time that NCN has been the subject of investigations with several investigations in the past pointing to waste, fraud and weak controls.

(KAIETEUR NEWS)