MSET - $44.4 Million paid out without formal lease agreements

Auditor General's Findings

According to the Auditor General Report for FY 2018/19 [Section 3.2.160], contrary to Section 53 of the Financial Administration and Audit Act Regulation 2011, the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology (MSET) did not have formal lease agreements for rental of office space at four locations for the operation of the Government Electrical Inspectorate (GEI) Division.

The report indicated that the Ministry made monthly payments over the period 2013/2014 – October 2019, totalling $44.4 million. In the absence of formal contracts, the rights and obligations of the parties might be misunderstood.

Permanent Secretary (current): Carol Palmer

Breach Category: Resource Management

Permanent Secretary (at breach): Hillary Alexander

Breach Type: Payments Without Supporting Contracts

Status:

Last Assessed: May 21, 2020

Year Reported: 2019

Year Resolved:

Recommendation

The Ministry was advised to implement corrective actions that will prevent a recurrence of the issues highlighted and to ensure adherence to the GoJ guidelines.

JAMP Update

Request for information was sent to the Ministry on March 2, 2020. Most recent response from the Ministry on May 20 advised that a response will be sent in short order. JAMP will continue to pursue an update.