PAC Committee To Hold Public Hearing Today
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Public Accounts will conduct a Public Hearing on Thursday, 17th December 2015 at 2:00p.m. in the Senate Chamber.
A spokesperson said, “It is expected that the Standing Committee will deliberate on matters relating to the proposed redevelopment of the L.F. Wade International Airport. At an earlier public meeting, the Committee heard testimony from the Accountant General and the Interim Director of the Office of Project Management and Procurement.
“During that testimony, the Accountant General indicated that his permission was not requested or given for the Airport Development Agreement executed earlier this year. Subsequently, the Committee unanimously resolved to call the Financial Secretary as a follow up to this matter.
“In his testimony last week, the Financial Secretary maintained that the Ministry of Finance is of the opinion that they received the required permission from the Accountant General. Due to the two conflicting opinions, the Committee unanimously resolved to recall the Accountant General for additional questioning on this matter.
“The Public Accounts Committee is comprised of Members of Parliament and is authorized by the House of Assembly to closely examine and report on matters relating to the accounts of the Government of Bermuda and, in particular, to investigate findings reported by the Auditor General in the Auditor’s Annual and other Special Reports.
“The current Chairman of the Committee is Mr. E. David Burt.
“Members of the public are invited to attend and observe the hearing to be held in The Senate Chamber at the Cabinet Building, 105 Front Street, Hamilton, HM 12.”
The airport letter agreement released following the last PAC meeting is below [PDF here]
Is this that guy who won’t look into the stuff we’re really interested in because he was Junior Finance Minister at the time?
Oh yeah. The Briliiant Mr Burt. Mr Conflict of Interest.
Airport….again. Look here, don’t look at the Auditor’s Report, which is what we are supposed to do.
Burt once again stalling, using up PAC time to hash over that the Accountant General cannot write a memo properly. The Financial Secratary is correct that the memo leaves the permission open. Now you have the AG saying that the ministry has been cooperative in providing information and keeping him up to date on things… as he had requested in the memo. So in effect, the ministry has been following the instructions as per the AG’s memo… so where the hell is this issue that Burt now seems to be desperately trying to find in this? This horse died weeks ago, why the hell does Burt think he can still ride it somewhere if he keeps flogging it?
Mr Burt.
As chairman ( and not in a political party hat ) it is your duty to fix the past transgressions first as noted in the Auditor Generals Annual and Special reports. I regret but your focus is apparently solely on the airport and thus is pure politics. You and Your committee by title are The Parliamentary Standing Committee on PUBLIC ACCOUNTS .Fix the past so we can address the present and fix it for the future.
He won’t.
was never a doubt, but I hope he can see that he is playing politrics with some people that won’t lay down and the ghosts from the past will come back to haunt him. I am non political but if you chair a committee of this nature you can not be totally biased.
“During that testimony, the Accountant General indicated that his permission was not requested or given for the Airport Development Agreement executed earlier this year.”
“In his testimony last week, the Financial Secretary maintained that the Ministry of Finance is of the opinion that they received the required permission from the Accountant General.”
What the heck is going on? Somebody is telling lies at the highest level of government. The Financial Secretary was of the opinion? How could you only be of the opinion on a $250 million dollar project? What the heck is going on.
How could the OBA move forward with the project if the Account General didn’t give permission? This is a mess. Bob Richards signed the agreement. The agreement would give exclusivity between CCC and the Bermuda government with no official bidding process for other contractors.
Here’s what is going on:
Burt needs to keep blabbering on about the airport so that he can avoid awkward questions about the Auditor’s Report.
The signed approval from the accountant General document was in an earlier article on Bernews.
The short, the AG have the ministry a memo granting permission to circumvent financial instructions for a sole source solution to the airport redevelopment.
He apparently only meant for that permission for the initial exploratory phase of the venture, but his memo reads as an open permission for the full process.
The ministry has been followed what was written in the memo, including keeping the AG up to date on the developments, so the AG has been satisfied.
Burt is trying to stall the PAC from looking into the Auditor Generals damning reports, constantly going on about how the reports covers matters from 4 – 8 years ago that isn’t as critical as looking into the fact that are no issues on the airport redevelopment today.
When is the Heritage Wharf report going to be investigated? With Burt as Chair of the PAC talk about the fox in charge of the hen house!
When will the PAC meet about the Auditor General’s reports?
Time for a new band. These tunes ain’t changin’. Get a legal opinion and move on to Auditor’s report. Burt’s resolve when PAC meets on the AG report will say all we need to know about any supposed PLP out with the old, in with the new. There certainly wasn’t any extra effort from him on the 19th hole of PR.
Any other business?
…what? no? but but….
Just noticed something, havn’t heard from Betty Trump lately. Alaska hall turmoil?
Probably stopped the paycheck.
She be juicin’ de onion natty.
Oh look, another PAC Meeting; and guess on what topic.
SMH
Is it correct that the present Accountant General was the Governments project manager for the Heritage Wharf project when he worked in the Department Of Transportation?
What?
Anybody??
Because that would be…let’s say…noteworthy.
Time for a new Accountant General!