The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

LONG ISLAND MP Loretta Butler-Turner said yesterday that Social Services Minister Melanie Griffin owed more than an apology if she intentionally misled the public over police investigations into claims of fraud at the Department of Social Services (DSS).

Mrs Butler-Turner was refering to the damning report on the department by Auditor General Terrance Bastian, which revealed that several DSS employees purchased groceries for themselves using food coupons intended for people on welfare.

The report was tabled in the House of Assembly on April 25, and on May 9 Mrs Griffin told reporters that the investigation had already been forwarded to the police.

However, Acting Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ferguson told The Tribune on May 17 that the matter had not been sent to police.

Mr Ferguson retracted his comments three days later, and said the request for investigation was received on May 11. He explained that complaints related to the matter did not come directly to the Office of the Commissioner, but were “re-routed”.

Mrs Butler Turner told reporters outside Government House yesterday that Mrs Griffin should have been aware of what was happening in her ministry.

“I think the Minister needs to realise and all persons need to realise,” she said, “especially in this age of communication, you have to be truthful at all times. I am not going to pass judgment on what she said but if the police said they haven’t received anything then certainly the minister would have to come back and correct herself in that regard.”

Mrs Butler-Turner said: “I am glad finally the matter was handed over to the police because when we start to commit fraud at the public’s and taxpayers’ expense and, more importantly, against poor persons who are dependent on food stamps from the department, I think an example needs to be made of those individuals.

“As minister she should be aware of everything that is going on in her ministry at all times and I hope that she was not intentionally misleading the public. If she was, in fact, she owes us more than an apology.”

One staff member has already been fired after admitting to participating in the scheme while two others have been put on administrative leave.

By using the coupons for 10 different clients, several DSS employees were able to obtain grocery items on August 30, 2015.

“The store’s name as printed on the coupons had been manually crossed out and replaced with an existing food store’s name,” Mr Bastian said.

The Auditor General’s report also exposed a litany of weaknesses in the DSS’ accounting department and raised questions about how effectively top officials provided oversight and management for the period from July 2013 to June 2015.