00:00The special report of the Auditor General on the public accounts for the financial year 2023.
00:05Finance Minister Coleman Burt laying that report in the House of Representatives
00:09and referring it to the Public Accounts Committee. Issuing a statement authorized by Cabinet,
00:15Inbert says the special report vindicates his ministry of Auditor General Jayawanti Ramdas'
00:21allegations. Her baseless assertion that the Ministry of Finance sought to unethically
00:29backdate the original 2023 accounts has been completely refuted. He states that the purpose
00:36of the special report was to clear the air on the controversy which arose from a $2.6 billion
00:42discrepancy during the audit of the 2023 public accounts which the government attributes to an
00:49overstatement of tax refunds and a subsequent under-reporting of net revenue. According to
00:55the Minister, an exit meeting to complete the special report was held on June 22, 2024 with
01:02staff from the Auditor General's office including its most senior auditors and they took a position.
01:09Openly expressed its satisfaction to the staff of the Ministry of Finance
01:15that the adjustment of $2.6 billion was appropriately accounted for. While Inbert
01:21believes the special report fails to provide that clarity that was needed for one specific reason.
01:28The Auditor General in her audit opinion on page 25 did not state that she was satisfied that the
01:34error in the public accounts for financial year 2023 was corrected. We view this omission on her
01:42part as a continuing campaign of non-cooperation and criticism of public officials in the Ministry
01:51of Finance by the Auditor General. As for an affidavit filed by Ramdas on September 5, 2024
01:58claiming that the central bank denied her access to its electronic check clearing system
02:04and therefore she could not carry out a proper audit which she stated in the special report
02:08Inbert has this to say. Although on September 5, 2024 the special report had not yet been laid in
02:17parliament and the premature disclosure of its contents is in our view a breach of process.
02:25It is clear to us that the premature publication of that emotionally charged affidavit in the
02:32Sunday Express was designed to evoke public sympathy. Inbert says the request to examine
02:38the system was made via email on June 24, 2024 by an official in Ramdas's office and the central
02:46bank requested further information on the scope of the examination to be carried out
02:51and expressed a willingness to meet with Ramdas. While it has received an outline of the scope of
02:56the proposed examination from a subordinate in the Auditor General's department, the bank has
03:03not yet received any correspondence from the Auditor General delegating authority to her staff
03:10to act on her behalf on this matter. The minister expresses hope that the Auditor General will
03:17respond to or meet with the governor of the central bank who he says has committed to
03:23meeting with her. Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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