OCG Completes Special Investigation into Alleged Procurement Breaches and Irregularities Associated with Installation Ceremony of CASE Interim President

Kingston; October 23, 2012 – The Office of the Contractor General (OCG) has completed its Special Enquiry Management Report of Investigation into allegations of procurement breaches and irregularities associated with the Installation Ceremony, on October 14, 2010, for the then Interim President of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), Dr. Victor Watt.

Dr. Watt’s tenure, as the Interim President of CASE, was for a period of one (1) year and took effect on August 3, 2010.

The OCG’s Enquiry was triggered by a written complaint that was received by it on October 21, 2010, which alleged, inter alia, that “the recent installation of former member of the Board of Management … as the new interim president… cost over ONE MILLION DOLLARS, WITH OVER HALF OF IT GOING FOR FOOD AND LIQUOR… the Event Planner was paid a quarter million dollars, without competitive tendering!”

In order to ascertain the veracity of the complaint, the OCG, by way of a letter which was dated October 26, 2010, commenced an Enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the referenced event.

Subsequently, on November 19, 2010, the OCG received information which alleged that representatives from CASE and its Board of Management were modifying and tweaking documentation, and “cooking” the information which was to be submitted to the OCG.

Based upon the allegation which was received, the OCG made an unannounced visit to CASE on November 23, 2010, in order to retrieve documents that were related to the Installation Ceremony, and to conduct one-on-one interviews with the CASE personnel who were reportedly involved with the planning and execution of the said event.

In keeping with the requirements of the Contractor General Act, copies of the OCG’s Report of Investigation into the matter were this morning despatched by the Contractor General to nine (9) State Authorities, namely the Minister of Education, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, the President of CASE, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, the Clerk to the Houses, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Attorney General and the Auditor General.

Section 20 (1) of the Contractor General Act provides as follows:

“After conducting an investigation under this Act, a Contractor General shall, in writing, inform the principal officer of the public body concerned and the Minister having portfolio responsibility therefor of the result of that investigation and make such recommendations as he considers necessary in respect of the matter which was investigated”.

Further, it is instructive to note that Section 21 of the Act provides as follows:

“If a Contractor General finds, during the course of his investigations or on the conclusion thereof that there is evidence of a breach of duty or misconduct or criminal offence on the part of an officer or member of a Public Body, he shall refer the matter to the person or persons competent to take such disciplinary or other proceeding as may be appropriate against that officer or member and in all such cases shall lay a special report before Parliament”.

Section 28 (3) of the Contractor General Act requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate to have OCG Reports of Investigation tabled in both Houses of Parliament ‘as soon as possible’.

As is customary, the Clerk to the Houses has been provided with a compact disc which bears a full electronic copy of the OCG’s Special Report of Investigation.

In the interest of public transparency, and acting in pursuance of the special powers that are reserved to a Contractor General by Section 28 (4) of the Contractor General Act, the OCG’s 34 page Special Enquiry Management Report of Investigation into the matter will be published on the OCG’s website at www.ocg.gov.jm, but only after the Report has been formally laid in both Houses of Parliament.

The OCG wishes to caution that where Reports of its Special Investigations find their way into the Media prior to the tabling of the said Reports in the Houses of Parliament, or before the formal posting of same on the OCG’s official website, care should be taken to disassociate any such publication from the OCG.

See story New CASE President aims for University Status in today’s iNews Cayman