The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

AUDITORS contracted by the government to examine NIB’s books recommended last evening that law makers amend the board’s regulations to bring them in line with modern times.

They also want a clearer definition of who the board’s internal auditor should report to.

Those observations were the only substantial details of what Paul Andy Gomez, of Grant Thornton and NIB Minister Shane Gibson would reveal to reporters at a press conference held at the Ministry of Public Service to officially hand over two forensic audit reports. At the time, Mr Gibson claimed to have no knowledge of the report’s contents and declined to give any in-depth details.

Mr Gibson was presented with nine binders which were described as containing “significant findings”. The reports were expected since January 1.

“Now when the Act,” Mr Gomez said, “or the board was established, that might have been okay, but these are some interesting times now, these are different times. So the Act needs to be updated.”

That information was the result of nearly four months of investigations of documents dating back to 2003.

The probe was sparked after both suspended NIB Director Algernon Cargill and fired Board chairman Gregory Moss fielded serious allegations against each other last year.

When asked for specifics of the report, including other recommendations that were made, which areas of NIB were scrutinised, when the public would be made aware of the report’s findings, or how many taxpayers’ dollars would be required to cover the expenses of the lengthy audit, the Minister was not able to say.

Neither could he tell reporters if Mr Cargill would be reinstated if the report did not contain incriminating evidence.

Mr Gibson said: “I don’t think at this time we are going to go into the report. I mean certainly I haven’t seen it yet. He is actually presenting it to me for the first time. So I wouldn’t want go into the details of information before I myself have had an opportunity to look through it.

“I can assure you that at some point in time you will have all the details of the report. It’s just that it would be premature to really discuss it now before I had an opportunity to look at it or before my Cabinet colleagues and the Attorney General had a chance to look at it.”

As to whether auditors recommended that criminal action be taken against either Messrs Cargill or Moss, Mr Gomez said no such recommendations were made.

“We were looking at the evidence and stating specifically what took place. So it’s not our place to say someone is innocent or someone is guilty, but simply to present the evidence. The Ministry will do what the ministry wishes to do with it,” he said.