Two gov’t ministries under scrutiny for alleged mismanagement

The Special Audit Unit (SAU) of the Auditor General’s Department (AuGD) is conducting preliminary assessments in relation to allegations of mismanagement at two government ministries.

In her annual report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, Auditor General Pamela Monroe Ellis said the SAU was in the process of reviewing documentation in relation to two preliminary assessments of the Ministry of Health & Wellness and the Ministry of Science, Energy, Technology and Telecommunications (now Ministry of Energy, Telecommunications and Transport).

These assessments, according to the auditor general, are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27. She said they are being conducted to ascertain whether to pursue more extensive assessment in the form of special audits.

Monroe Ellis has also indicated that the then Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) (now Infrastructure Development) took about five months to respond to a draft performance audit report on climate change-related issues that had been submitted to the ministry for feedback.

When the auditor general completes an audit, a draft report is sent to the permanent secretary, in the case of a ministry, to get responses on issues or concerns raised in the audit.

AUDIT DEADLINE

In her annual report, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the auditor general pointed out that the original deadline for completing the audit on climate change adaptations was March 2025.

However, she said there were extended delays in the provision of requested information and slow response by MEGJC to a draft report submitted in June 2025. A formal response was received from the ministry in November 2025.

The audit is intended to determine whether the Jamaican Government was on track to implement climate change adaptation, actions and plans.

When the audit was first announced, the AuGD stated that the effectiveness of climate-related spending and appropriate utilisation of the resources are important for taxpayers and international relations.

In addition, the AuGD said it would examine select climate-change projects funded by the Government and multilateral agencies to determine whether key outputs were efficiently and effectively delivered.

Another audit on the enforcement and monitoring of mining and quarrying, which was scheduled for completion in March 2025 has also faced setbacks owing to extended delays in the provision of requested information and response to the auditor general’s draft report.

editorial@gleanerjm.com