Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 05, 2016 News
… forensic report yet to be made public
Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth, who
departed on 10-months leave to facilitate a forensic audit into the authority, is expected to return to work next week.
Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, had stated sometime during the commencement of the forensic audit that the report will determine Wordsworth’s future at the NDIA. The report is yet to be made public.
A source recently revealed that the report – still out of the public’s domain – entailed the recommendation to have Wordsworth along with other officials dismissed.
A letter of dismissal, the source revealed, was sent to the Chairman of NDIA, John Piggott for his signature. When contacted yesterday for information on the grounds supporting Wordsworth and the other officials’ dismissal, Piggott stated that he does not discuss matters related to NDIA with any newspaper.
Previous media reports indicated that Wordsworth had more than 300 days of leave accumulated. The Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, had stated last year that with Wordsworth’s leave due, it was decided for him to take it so that the audit can go smoothly.
As far as the source knows, the letter is currently with the Minister of Agriculture. The minister was unavailable for comment. This publication understands that the Minister’s unavailability was due to the proceedings at Parliament yesterday.
When Wordsworth was contacted yesterday, he stated that the leave will conclude next week. When that period comes to an end, the contract provides clauses that must be followed in order to proceed.
Wordsworth did not dismiss returning to work or not.
Wordsworth, an engineer, has been under fire for the management of NDIA which has been accused of significant corruption. Auditors were expected to look specifically at spending on the $3.6B Hope Canal, an alternative drainage channel that was constructed on the East Coast Demerara, that was supposed to address any overtopping of the East Demerara Water Conservancy, an area behind that holds billions of gallons of water.
He has been under a cloud with an audit into NDIA’s operations in 2012 recommending him and Senior Engineer, Aneel Chowbay, to be sacked, after several instances of fraud and conflict of interest were unearthed.
The audit on fuel consumption, equipment operations and maintenance, was conducted between May and September 2012 and submitted to the Chairman of the NDIA Board of Directors on September 26. A copy was also sent to former President, Donald Ramotar.
However, Wordsworth remained on the job.
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