Stewart
THE MANAGEMENT team at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has thrown its support behind embattled Executive Chairman, Alston Stewart, dismissing calls for his and the board's removal and denying allegations of wrong doing at the agency.
In a press release on the weekend, the management team said it was "unaware of any acts of corruption or mismanagement" and that it "had all confidence in the leadership of our executive chairman as head of the organisation. He is assured of our continued support."
Last Sunday, The Gleaner reported that Minister of Local Government and Sports Portia Simpson Miller had ordered an investigation into operations at the authority after concerns were raised by the Auditor-General's Depart-ment about irregularities at the NSWMA. She requested that the Contractor-General's Department and the Internal Audit Department also look into the financial affairs of the agency.
ALLEGATIONS
Among the allegations are that the NSWMA failed for two consecutive years to turn over financial statements and accounting records to Auditor-General Adrian Strachan; that there have been collusion and kickbacks, where persons connected to the NSWMA were said to be fronting for others; the awarding of contracts to People's National Party activists to the tune of millions of dollars annually which was said to have not put out to tender and a potential conflict of interest where Mr. Stewart holds a key agency post while being part owner of a million-dollar piece of equipment that is used in the agency's public cleansing programme.
In the press release dated April 2, the NSWMA's management team also denied the allegations.
"We have consistently cooperated with all requests for information and all public audits conducted since our inception and it is our intention to continue along this vein. We have also assiduously worked in establishing and improving systems in order to ensure that the organisation is compliant with relevant regulations and requirements and as such welcome the probe ordered by the Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport," the release said.
The agency's board has done its own probe into the allegations and the results are expected to be made public today. Sources told The Gleaner that the report, which was handed to Minister Simpson Miller on Thursday, is expected to play down the charges of corruption and irregularities that have rocked the agency.
Minister Simpson Miller has said that she is awaiting a report from the Auditor and Contractor Generals' departments before deciding whether to make changes at the state agency.
