– COI probes ‘cover-up’
The Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, (COI) into the affairs of City Hall, retired Justice Cecil Kennard has launched a probe into the alleged disappearance of several documents said to have been removed from the archives of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
In his testimony before the Commission on Wednesday, Chief Constable Andrew Foo revealed that the Constabulary Department is investigating a matter based on a report made by a junior rank attached to the department.
According to Foo, the rank had discovered a breakage at one of two rooms in the record-keeping area of City Hall.
Chairman of the COI into the affairs of City Hall, retired Justice Cecil Kennard (sitting at right) inspects City Hall’s records, while Attorney Sherwin Benjamin and Acting Town Clerk, Sharon Harry-Munroe, look on.
Foo told the Commission that the rank who reported the matter revealed that an employee attached the Town Clerk’s Department had removed three thick books from the archives.
The employee was called in by the investigating unit, but the Chief Constable said that he was later informed that the staffer had proceeded on leave.
Reading from the report, Foo told the Commission that he was later informed by Acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe that the staff was acting on the instruction of Town Clerk, Royston King, who is presently on administrative leave.
The documents were reportedly removed from the archives on August 14, last-several weeks before the COI was launched into City Hall’s operation.
The report by the City Constabulary was however not compiled until two months after the incident occurred. It was compiled on October 18, last. The revelation caused Justice Kennard to share the view that there must be some sort of cover-up at the level of the Council.
As a result, the Chairman and members of the commission visited both the Council and the City Constabulary Training Centre, on Water Street, to get a first-hand inspection of the records in an effort to ascertain what might have transpired.
The visit revealed that some documents were taken from the archives.
In her testimony before the commission, on Wednesday, the Acting Town Clerk sought to defend the actions of officials within the council. She had noted that she learnt about the removal of the documents during a statutory meeting.
Harry-Munroe, who has close to 30 years experience working within the ranks of City Hall, also faced questions about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at the council.
An attorney for the Commission, Sherwin Benjamin specifically questioned the witness about payments made to companies who did not have a contract with the Council.
“Is it the SOP for Mr King, (Town Clerk) to take contractors to an area and request work to be done without signing a contract? As it is in the case of XL Engineering, a company that is now owed millions of dollars by City Hall.”
“I don’t know of any payments being made without a contract,” said Harry–Munroe who held a number of positions at City Hall, including the post of Acting City Treasurer.
She was adamant in her response, adding that there must be some form of arrangement between those individuals and the Council before the payments.
“I am not aware of any instances in which monies were remitted to individuals and companies without a contract.”
“We have multiple contractors who say they have been paid without a contract,” Benjamin said in response.
“Well I don’t know of any,” Harry-Munroe retorted.
Her statements attracted inquiries from Chairman of the Commission, retired Judge Cecil Kennard.
“So where are the contracts then?” Kennard asked.
“You mean to tell me that you don’t know of instances where the Town Clerk took persons to the area and showed them the work to be done, without signing a contract?” the Chairman asked, pointing to the evidence before the commission.