Almost $24M from Region 8 School feeding programme unaccounted for – Auditor General’s report

The Auditor General has found that almost $24 million has been unaccounted for as part of the dietary programme in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

The findings were contained in Auditor General Deodat Sharma’s report for the fiscal year ending 2020.

According to the AG’s report, $241.696 million was expended in the region under the dietary allocation inclusive of $225.696 million under Programme 3 – Education Delivery. The amount encompassed 10 transactions at Mahdia totalling $66.275 million, 11 at Paramakatoi amounting to $81.3 million and 6 at Kato pegged at $78.121 million.

In relation to the sum expended at the Paramakatoi Dormitory, the AG said an examination of the payment vouchers revealed a number of discrepancies. The AG said that that requisitions to purchase were not attached to any of the payment vouchers submitted for audit along with his office being unable to trace $10.401 million to the Goods Received Book. As a result, the AG’s office could not have determine whether the items were actually received.

A breakdown of the payment vouchers and particulars is shown in the table.

Additionally, amounts totalling $65.465 million were paid to a supplier for the supply of dietary items but an examination of the Goods Received Book revealed that items to the value of $63.896 million were recorded as being received resulting in $1.569 million being unaccounted for.

At the Kato Dormitory, an examination of the payment vouchers and other related documents revealed that the Goods Received Book submitted did not include information for the month of December 2020. As a result, it could not be ascertained if the items procured for December 2020 were actually received and if value was received for the amounts expended.

The report said that amounts totalling $71.532 million were paid to a supplier for dietary supplies. However, examination of the Goods Received Book revealed that items to the value of $59.738 million were recorded as being received. Thus, resulting in a variance of $11.794 million.

AG Sharma found that a payment voucher and corresponding cheque valuing $5.432 million was prepared and approved to cover an unpaid account for 2018 but an examination of the records showed that the supplier only provided $5.272 million resulting in them being overpaid $160,000.

While no official explanation was given for their breaches, the Regional Administration did commit to fully comply with the regulations.

The Hinterland School Feeding Programme has been under scrutiny for a number of years. A special investigative audit undertaken in 2017 to investigate the delivery of the Kato programme revealed that there were discrepancies with the pricing of items resulting in breaches of the financial systems.

In 2013, an investigation was launched after it was reported that students from Kato Primary had to fetch firewood to cook the meals offered to them.