Last week the Auditor General, Terrance Bastian produced a report that was table in the House of assembly, which suggested; “Taxpayers suffer $7m overruns on CARIFTA, Bahama Games” – The Tribune Business.

Excerpt, from this article; “BAHAMIAN taxpayers incurred an extra $7m bill to cover cost overruns for two much-hyped sporting events that were hosted last summer, the Government’s financial watchdog has revealed.

The Auditor General’s Office, in reports tabled in the House of Assembly, revealed that the Government overshot its upgraded $4.9m spending allocation for the 50th CARIFTA track and field championships and Bahamas Jubilee Games through a near-total $12m outlay on the two events.

This $7m overrun occurred despite the Government, in its 2002-2023 supplementary Budget, more than doubling spending on the Bahamas Jubilee Games from the original $1.5m to $3.5m – an increase of $2m. CAR- IFTA expenditure was also increased, albeit by a more modest $400,000, to take it from an initial $1m to $1.4m in the same 2022-2023 fiscal year.

However, even these increases proved woefully insufficient to cover the Government’s ultimate outlays, which came to $5.559m for the Bahamas Jubilee Games and $6.43m for hosting the regional CARIFTA championships.

When the figures are combined, the total $11.989m total exceeds the $4.9m supplementary Budget allocation by more than $7m or 145 percent – meaning the spend is more than double what was predicted. And the Auditor General’s Office, in its CARIFTA report, reveals that the net loss, or deficit, incurred by The Bahamas from hosting the event was almost 20 times’ what was forecast.”

For some strange reason with this simple piece of accounting, that only laid out the facts; some very simple facts without any accusations, all “hell” broke loose and most of us just watched in amazement.

First there was the Minister involved defending something that most did not feel needed defending;

“Bowleg defends oversight of games” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from his article; “Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg claimed yesterday he specifically requested that the auditor general conduct an audit of the CARIFTA Games 2023 and The Bahamas Jubilee Games, and said he felt disrespected that while Auditor General Terrance Bastian provided a draft report to his ministry for feedback, he did not release to the minister a final report before it was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.

However, there is no requirement in law or in practice for the auditor general to have alerted the minister of a final draft.

Under the constitution, the auditor general is an independent position.

As a matter of practice, his office provides impacted entities opportunities to respond to findings and provide explanations, but Bowleg acknowledged that his ministry never responded to the draft audits which raised concerns about how public monies used for those games were handled.

Under Article 136(5) of the constitution, “In the exercise of his functions…the auditor general shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other person or authority.”

The minister also insisted that notwithstanding anything the auditor general reported, “There was no overspending of funds” on the games.”

Read that last line again, I underlined it for ease of reference.

Really, Mr. Minister?

The Minister feels disrespected after being provided a draft copy of the audit report that he requested and did not respond to but feeling out of some sort of courtesy  that the Auditor general should have given him first look at the final report when by the constitution he does not have to because he does not report to him; am I getting this right?

I remember one time that a report was given to a Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister; it was only seen again when the media got” wind of it” and found that it was “lost’ on this persons desk in the fear that this person may have lost their job at the time, their words, lose their jobs by whom and why?

Bringing the media into this, the second attack was actually against the media for them simply doing their jobs in this matter; “Mitchell attacks media over audit reporting” – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Fred Mitchell yesterday responded to the auditor general’s audits on The Bahamas Jubilee Games and the CARIFTA Games 2023 by accusing newspapers of irresponsible reporting, and questioning whether the auditor general gave impacted entities an opportunity to respond to the findings.

Yesterday, his colleague, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg acknowledged that his ministry was presented with draft audits and given an opportunity to respond, but did not do so because it did not get answers from the individuals responsible for the operations of the games.

The audits were tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.”

The only thing that I can say whenever Fred Mitchell gets into a situation that is clearly none of his business and that he only makes worst by this contributions is “Who authorized pump 10?”’

If I were the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), I would find a way to limit his reach but they fought a “bloody” fight for him in their last convention, so I feel it is clear that they love what he contributes; I feel the older and the more sensible person in the organization know a lot better though; we can hope and pray.

But then as if the contribution by Fred Mitchell was not damaging enough, the CARIFTA committee chairman seem hellbent to out do everyone on this matter;

“CARIFTA committee chair calls audit ‘garbage’”  – The Nassau Guardian

Excerpt from this article; “Lynden Maycock, the certified public accountant who was chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the CARIFTA Games 2023 hosted by The Bahamas, said he did not seize the opportunity to respond to adverse findings contained in a draft report of the auditor general on the financial management of that event because he viewed the audit as “garbage”.

“I wouldn’t even dignify that and say that’s an audit report,” Maycock said.

“I call that a garbage report. I wouldn’t even dignify it saying it was an audit report, because it was not.”

In that audit tabled in Parliament last Wednesday, the auditor general, Terrance Bastian, found that policies pertaining to the request for funds, purchasing and procurement, and allocation of funds for the games were not adhered to, and there was a deficit of $829,821.37.

The audit notes that the government initially budgeted an amount of $1 million for the CARIFTA Games.

Maycock said the games were “grossly under budgeted”.

“The government of The Bahamas was only acting in a capacity as a guarantor of the games, and so wherever [there were] any shortfalls of any monies then the government would step in,” he said.

Responding to a question from The Nassau Guardian, Maycock said the findings relating to the financial management of the games were “totally incorrect”.

He said, acceptable procedures were followed “absolutely to the T”.

In a statement, Mitchell said, “It is tiresome to do so but it bears repeating: be careful how newspapers rush to alarmist and tendentious headlines about public expenditure, without hearing the other side. When the facts are revealed, we are satisfied that it will be clear that the deliberate and destructive innuendo of public malfeasance by the newspapers, is misplaced and maliciously conceive

The New Day government’s reaction to the Auditor’s report has been quite suspicious, to say the very least. If we all remember it was this very same Auditor General whose word was “gospel” when it came to trying to demonize the Free National Movement (FNM) over its handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian but today the same man’s words are simply “blasphemous” when merely suggesting that there was a cost overrun at the recent CARIFTA and Bahama Games.

From what I have read there has not been one accusation made by the Auditor General in the matter, he simply reported what the numbers said…….but it would seem that some may not have wanted the public to know what the numbers had to say.

We now wonder what else may have been simply buried, covered up.

The Progressive Liberal Party fails for one reason; it is their nature.

END