The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

COLLEGE of The Bahamas President Dr Rodney Smith has denounced “unethical journalism” intended to create a “scandal” after this newspaper reported the contents of a leaked audit management letter from Baker Tilley and Gomez (BTG) that revealed numerous problems with COB’s internal controls.

In a letter published in The Tribune today, Mr Smith suggested that the articles do not paint an accurate picture of COB’s financial accounting processes, although he did not specify the ways in which the reports were supposedly inaccurate.

Meanwhile, COB has not yet responded to The Tribune’s emailed questions about the matters exposed in the BTG audit, such as how the college could account for its use of restricted funds since auditors noted that the use of such money could not be traced.

Nor has Dr Smith returned phone calls from The Tribune seeking comment.

The draft audit was presented to COB in January and covers the period ending June 30, 2011. The 36-page document obtained by The Tribune lists a litany of faults found in COB’s internal control processes and procedures, ranging from failures to conduct timely bank reconciliation procedures to failure to adequately train staff.

One practice by the college, the report noted, could have even resulted in theft.

“…Someone with a personal agenda decides to leak a confidential in-house document to a media house,” Dr Smith said. “The document, designed to examine and assess all areas requiring improvement in order to make the institution a better functioning institution through implementation of best practices, is published without due process of verification or even enquiring about additional information in an effort to provide more accurate information to the readership. No effort was made to first assess ‘forward’ and ‘backward’ linkages to the document. What conditions existed before and after the report document and what changes took place since, were never researched prior to the blind publication of the leaked document. In institutions of higher learning this is referred to as unethical journalism; journalism that is intentionally designed to present one picture as opposed to a more complete picture. I would take this opportunity, here, to remind all journalism and communications faculty members at The College of The Bahamas that ethics and citizenship must be taught together. Whenever we are teaching our students about journalism, we must be sure to spend a little more time on journalism ethics.”

As for the BTG audit, he said: “The recently leaked extensive and unusually candid 2011 audit management letter from Baker Tilley and Gomez was intended to help the institution. It was not intended to be used for the creation of a scandalous story.”

Dr Smith said that as COB uncovers weaknesses in its processes, it will identify these and implement best practices.

He added: “No doubt, as the institution re-examines existing and past policies and practices, some will be viewed as weak and even inadequate. This kind of acknowledgment is necessary for continuous improvement. These internal documents are not intended for public consumption. They are intended for the purpose of institutional continuous improvements.”

In his letter, Dr Smith offered advice to journalists, asking that they “move away from the practice of sticking a microphone in someone’s face and asking for off-the-cuff statements.”

The Tribune has previously reported that no financial statement from COB of any kind has been tabled in the House of Assembly since 2008, despite the fact that the College of the Bahamas Act mandates that such documents be prepared and tabled.

This has prevented COB from drawing down on a multi-million dollar loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) which is supposed to aid its development into a university.

College Council Chairman Alfred Sears said on Tuesday that the “matters in the management letter presented by the external auditor requires the determined and serious remedial measures by the institution.”

For years, many have complained internally about the institution’s management of its financial affairs.