Fired City Officials to be replaced- positions to be advertised
Following the recent dismissal of the five city officials for improprieties, it has been determined that those persons acting will continue to do so until the posts can be filled. This position taken by the Ministers of Local Government and Regional Development Ganga Persaud and Norman Whittaker was told to the media on Friday.
“The persons whom we appointed to act will continue to act whilst measures are being put in place to have the vacant positions that will obviously be created, advertised, through a transparent process.”
Minister Persaud said this process is expected to take a few weeks, and that the ministry is unable to give a definite response as to how long the procedure will take as it is largely carried out by the City Council. “We are hoping that the council will view the activities as an urgent one and that they will move to ensuring that all the steps and procedures are followed,” he said.
City Treasurer Anthony Meredith, Town Clerk Yonette Pluck, City Engineer, Gregory Erskine and Head of the Solid Waste management Unit, Hubert Urling are among the five city officials that were issued with dismissals letter from the ministry following recommendations by the Auditor General based on financial improprieties unearthed.
Minister Whittaker said that the Auditor General’s Report found the five employees culpable of varying offences and breaches of regulations ranging from lack of transparency of contracting services to unauthorised issuance of fuel and loans to staff.
The ministry will in time decide whether to pursue criminal proceedings against these five workers, but only following advice from the Police. “It is not something we can pass judgment on, we are hoping that the law enforcement will guide us,” Minister Persaud said. However if criminal charges must be laid against the ex-city officials, then the ministry stands ready to support such an action, Minister Persaud said.
He identified the sixth official implicated as the former Human Resource Manager but he disclosed that the ministry in perusal of the Auditor General’s Report, did not unearth enough evidence to as yet support significant wrongdoing to warrant dismissal of the aforementioned official.
