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Head of the country’s drainage authority has gone on leave as auditors continue to carry out their work.Lionel Wordsworth, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), had more than 300 days of leave accumulated.Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder,Cheap Jerseys USA, in confirming the news yesterday,Cheap Stitched Jerseys, said that there is an ongoing forensic audit into the body.With Wordsworth’s leave due, it was decided for him to take it so that the audit can go smoothly,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Holder said.The period of leave will mean that Wordsworth will be away for some 10 months.Wordsworth, an engineer, has been under fire for the management of NDIA which has been accused of significant corruption.Auditors will be specifically looking at spending on the $3.6B Hope Canal, an alternative drainage channel that was constructed on the East Coast Demerara that was suppose to address any overtopping of the East Demerara Water Conservancy, an area behind that holds billions of gallons of waters.There have been questions about the number of excavators working on the Hope Canal project under contract and possible conflict of interests involving some of the owners of the equipment.Wordsworth himself has been under a cloud with an audit into NDIA’s operations in 2012 recommending him and Senior Engineer,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, Aneel Chowbay, to be sacked, after several instances of fraud and conflict of interest were unearthed.The audit on fuel consumption and equipment operations and maintenance, was conducted between May and September of that year and submitted to the Chairman of the NDIA Board of Directors on September 26,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, and carbon copied to former President Donald Ramotar.However, Wordsworth remained on the job.The report concluded that fraudulent acts were committed by Wordsworth and Chowbay, in breach of the Procurement Act 2003.It spoke of conflict of interest and sole sourcing of services such as the supply of fuel and the awarding of contracts to relations of senior NDIA operatives, in breach of national procurement procedures.The audit and subsequent report came in the wake of declarations that millions of dollars were allocated to the NDIA for which questions of value for money and accountability have been raised.The report noted that there was a major breakdown of internal control over the fuel system which lends itself for possible fraudulent activity since it cannot be fully tested and relied upon that fuel ordered was received in part at the pump station and used for its required purposes.NDIA over the years has been receiving billions of dollars annually to help in not only drainage projects but the all important management of the water conservancies along the coastlands that are critical for the irrigation of thousands of rice and other farmers.Another critical project that is under scrutiny by the new coalition Government was the US$4M ($800M) contract with Indian firm, Surendra Engineering Company Limited, to bring in 14 large drainage pumps.While the contractor has been sacked for another contract- the Specialty Hospital- it is unclear how many of the pumps were actually installed despite being two years over the deadline.A close family member of Wordsworth was also accused of buying a city house for $60M despite the salary being low.However,China NFL Jerseys, the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration had stuck with the engineer as Head of the NDIA.Consecutive state audit reports have been raising questions over the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil and lubricants that are being purchased for the many pump stations across the land.Yesterday, Minister Holder said that audit report will determine Wordsworth’s future at NDIA. |
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