Earlier this evening, President Dr. Irfaan Ali appointed a technical team to immediately conduct a “rapid financial and management assessment of several key state agencies. However, the APNU+AFC opposition is of the opinion that the team is out to do no good. In fact, APNU+AFC is regarding the team—compromising mostly of financial experts—as a “witch hunt squad.”
The team comprises Kit Nascimento , Public Communications Consultant; Christopher Ram Chartered Accountant and Attorney–at-law; Nigel Hinds, Certified Public Accountant and Sasenarine Singh, Financial Consultant.
APNU+AFC says that the appointment of this “Witch Hunt Squad” appears to have been done both in haste and in secret, without any regard for transparency or the established procurement procedures.
APNU+AFC, via a press release, said it “considers this development as a clear emerging pattern of conduct on the part of the PPP to target and persecute professionals in the public service. The announcement of this ominous Witch Hunt Squad comes on Day 3 of the fraudulent PPP regime being swooped into office and after reports of several officers of the Ministry of the Presidency being bullied and intimidated to resign.”
Further, APNU+AFC said, “This typically inelegant machination smacks of an abuse of power by the PPP and represents a naked and shameless doling out of the largesse of the state as payback to those who waged its unholy battle to manoeuvre the PPP into government.”
APNU+AFC is now seeking answers to several questions, see below:
1. Will the cost for this Rapid Financial Management Assessment Team aka the Witch Hunt Squad be borne by the state?
2. If the cost will be borne by the state what is the budget allocation?
3. What was the method of procurement for the services of the named individuals – Kit Nascimento, Nigel Hinds, Sasenarine Singh and Chris Ram?
4. Are the named individuals providing their services pro bono or at a cost to the state?
5. What were the criteria used for the selection of these individuals?
6. What are the terms of reference for this Rapid Financial Management Assessment Team/Witch Hunt Squad?
7. What is the timeline for the completion of the exercise?
8. What was the rationale used for identifying the agencies which the Rapid Financial Management Assessment Team/Witch Hunt Squad will review?
