The Ministry of Finance says that salaries for the Joint Services and other agencies under the Ministry of Public Security are payable.
In a statement to the press, Minister Jordan explained that the delay in the payment resulted from clerical issues and not the unavailability of finances as was reported in some sections of the media.
The Minister said the payroll was imported and the payment cheque prepared for uplifting on Thursday, October 18. Jordan further explained that a request for 6141 virements was received the following day, with insufficient information. He said that a request for additional information was satisfied after 17:00 hrs and a letter for Budget approval sent to the Director of Budget on October 22, last. He insisted that approval was granted, and the funds released the same day.
The economist emphasized that attempts to import the payroll on October 23 highlighted several errors resulting from incorrect postings during the year. According to the Minister, staff worked into the night to correct the detected errors. The staff of the Ministry of Public Security was unable to assist in the process with necessary explanations despite being provided with tables and demonstrations from the technical staff of the Ministry of Finance for hours. The result, therefore, was the inability to process the Ministry of Public Security’s payroll.
Jordan said that the issue has since been rectified and salaries are available to all agencies.
