NCN manager accused of fraud sworn in as MP
Apr 27, 2019 , https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ager-sworn-in-as-mp/
Under a cloud: New MP for the AFC, Donna Mathoo
Yesterday, Berbice Branch Manager of the National Communications Network (NCN), Donna Mathoo, was one of four persons sworn in to replace the ministers who resigned due to court rulings over dual-citizenship.
She was reportedly named to replace former Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin, of the Alliance For Change.
However, the swearing in during a sitting of the National Assembly would come with questions again over her head relating to fraud accusations two years ago.
Mathoo in a public statement, which was carried by Kaieteur News in April 2018, had said that she was asked in 2017 to proceed on leave to facilitate an investigation.
“I proceeded on leave on March 29, 2017 after which date the investigation commenced. During the course of the investigation, Mr. Omadatt Ramnarine’s services were terminated by the NCN. I was provided with a copy of the findings of the investigation. No allegation of misconduct against me was contained in the findings. After due consideration and deliberation, I was invited to resume duty on 5th March 2018.”
However, according to a letter to Mathoo dated April 13, 2017, from then NCN’s chief, Lennox Cornette, who has since died, she was implicated by employees in a racket to hide cash received for advertisements.
Former NCN’s chief, Lennox Cornette
In the letter captioned “Financial Irregularities at Berbice Branch”, an audit of transactions at the NCN branch expressed the opinion that staffers have defrauded the state-owned media company in excess of $500,000 monthly starting in December 2015.
The staffers used fictitious invoices, receipts and broadcast logs.
“It is evident that the fictitious documents issued to customers were done to conceal the case collected since our official documents carry a sequential numbering that are tracked daily for any breaks.”
According to the NCN chief, in the letter to Mathoo, staffers gave statements “which implicate you as part of the financial irregularities.”
Mathoo was given until April 18, 2017, to respond to the findings of the audit. She was told to remain on administrative leave.
Cornette disclosed then that in addition to paper trail evidence, NCN and auditors were in possession of two video ads to supplement the evidence.
The advertisements were related to the Country Pride programme.
Among other things, the internal audits found that there were several instances of fictitious receipts to customers; creation of separate logs to air ads and the concealing of cash paid for the ads and verbal instructions to staff to air advertisements and private programmes.
There were also indications that the destruction of fake logs and receipts were ordered before the NCN internal probe started.
There was also evidence that staffers were made to sign blank petty cash vouchers for travelling and then a higher amount was inserted.
“Specifically, the audit has found evidence of 724 advertisements on fake broadcast logs as well as several fake receipts. The matrix that follows gives details of 300 advertisements, aired for which revenues collected were not handed over to the company,” Cornette said in his letter.
In April 2018, the issue of Mathoo resuming her job at that Berbice branch was raised at the monthly statutory meeting at the Regional Democratic Council, Region Six.
Several persons including the Regional Chairman, David Armogan, and the Community Development Officer for Region Six, Barbara Pilgrim, expressed their disapproval at the status of the investigation.
Zamal Hussain, the PPP Councillor who raised the issue at the meeting, stating that it was noticed that Mathoo who was under investigation was back at the job.
He revealed that Mathoo was also allegedly being paid while she was being investigated.
“This government campaigned against corruption and now they are paying people to be corrupt,” he stressed.
Brandishing several ” fake receipts” and “log sheets” while making his point, Mr. Hussain added: “The particular person that was in charge was giving fake receipts for certain sums of cash collected and if the government re-hire this particular person then I’m seeing that this government is not only tolerating corruption, but is corrupt.”
He called for the findings of the investigation that was reportedly conducted internally to be made public.
The Regional Chairman, David Armogan, who was also in support of Mr. Hussain’s call for transparency, stressed that there was not even a statement released on the reinstatement of the Manager.
“All we know is that this person has gone back to her employment and that’s the end of the matter. That cannot be right, that is a public position and the matter was in the public domain as well because when the accusations came out, there were many people who lost their job, and so we as members of the public would like to know why is it that those people are gone and why is it that this person is back,” Armogan argued.
