Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday warned Permanent Secretaries, Regional Executive Officers and other accounting officers that they would face consequences for breaches of procurement and government payment procedures.
It is unclear what triggered the warning from the Vice President.
According to a release issued by the head of the President’s public relations unit, Suelle Findlay-Williams, the warning was delivered during a meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre attended by ministers, all Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers, accounting officers from key semi-autonomous agencies and other officials.
It said the meeting examined measures to improve management, accountability and transparency across ministries, regions and other public-sector agencies. Procurement transactions, government payments and the dissemination of information to the public were among the areas discussed.
Jagdeo emphasised the responsibility of Permanent Secretaries and Regional Executive Officers to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations and to properly manage the public resources entrusted to their agencies, the release said.
The meeting also considered initiatives to strengthen the monitoring of compliance with procurement and payment systems, but no details of those measures were provided.
Jagdeo also said the government remained committed to using modern technology to improve the delivery of public services and citizens’ interactions with state institutions.
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