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Cash-strapped City Hall is now investigating all transactions conducted by acting Chairman of theActing Chairman of Finance Committee, Junior GarrettGeorgetown Municipality’s Finance Committee, Junior Garrett, since he approved the purchase of a laptop from “a non-existent company”.Mayor Hamilton Green made this decision, yesterday, following the disclosure that Garrett approved the purchase of a Dell Latitude D800, laptop computer – to the tune of $120,000 – from a non-existent company, in February.Meanwhile, Garrett is lashing back claiming that he cannot inspect every detail on a payment voucher that staff present to him for his signature. He stressed that for similar reasons, he recommended in City Hall’s budget 2012 that a Procurement Commission be established.“This incident is only a drop in the ocean. There are many discrepancies that require immediate intervention by the Auditor General. However, the Mayor is dragging his feet on these matters,” Garrett asserted.In February, Garrett’s lone signature appeared on the payment voucher approving the purchase of the computer for the City Treasurer’s Department from a fictitious company. The computer was rented from an individual by City Hall to prepare its budget document and now that that project is over, the computer was purchased.Apparently, officials called the number listed as the company’s on the payment voucher, and discovered it was a private residence. The processing of the payment for the computer was halted.According to Mayor Green, the revelation of this transaction has raised concerns that similar businesses could have been done within the past months and therefore the Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck, needs to conduct a thorough investigation into all transactions in which Garrett was involved.Green related that Pluck would have to launch an investigation into the apparent breaches in the procedures to acquire the computer, and to ascertain if other staffers are involved in this transaction.Depending on the findings of the investigation, the Auditor General could be called in. Green added that the citizens of Georgetown should not be robbed of taxes that should be used to beautify Georgetown.City Mayor Hamilton GreenHe emphasised that it is surprising that a Councillor, particularly Garrett,Cheap Jerseys, “who always seems punctilious” would possibly be involved in such a misdeed. The Mayor stressed that it is questionable why Garrett would sign a payment voucher without checking the validity of the company.Garrett in his defence claimed that City Hall’s Information Technology Officer presented documents for the purchase of the computer. The Councillor noted that he signed the payment voucher along with several other documents, and as such, time did not permit him to call the company to verify its existence.He noted that in the past, the same Information Technology Officer recommended that Council purchase software for about $14M when similar software could have been obtained free of cost.Garrett asserted that this and a booklet of financial discrepancies were brought to the Mayor’s attention, but to date nothing has been done. He stressed that it is beyond him, why the Mayor would have vital information about the misappropriation of funds and refuse to take action.He noted that if the Mayor was serious about stamping out corruption from City Hall he would have already confronted the officers and even engaged the Auditor General for assistance.“For instance, some staff are receiving daily incentives at a time, when the Council is cash-strapped, to carry out basic daily functions,” Garrett claimed. |
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