The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

The removal of Pamela Hill as CEO of Bahamas Power & Light was confirmed by a press statement from chairwoman Darnell Osborne.

At a news conference later in the day, Ms Osborne suggested the move was made as a means of accountability, as specified in the management services agreement (MSA) signed between the government and PowerSecure, BPL’s management company.

In a surprising step on Monday, the board also instructed its legal counsel to demand reimbursement from PowerSecure of all funds gone missing due to the vendor fraud scheme.

Additionally, the board called on PowerSecure to “cure all deficiencies and/or breaches” set out under the MSA within 30 days.

Ms Osborne’s statement said the board has “addressed further critical performance issues with PowerSecure” and awaits its response within the contractually required timeframe.

Three junior employees were fired in connection with the scheme last Wednesday.

Both the government and the BPL board have received copies of an audit conducted by Ernst and Young into the discovery of a five-month-long scheme thaat involved approximately 44 cheques paid out to 16 vendors from December 16, 2016 to May 9, 2017.

According to staff at the company, employees in the department in question are required to, with any transaction, process claims under the guidance of senior personnel. This means that all transactions would have to go through an authorisation process, checked and approved by a manager, further processed by the employees and then finally signed off by that supervising manager.

Furthermore, all cheques used would have had to have been made out to a vendor recognised and sanctioned by BPL, and if any issues are raised, the audit department would step in, it was claimed.

Ms Osborne on Monday also confirmed that firings at the company will continue as the investigation into the scheme is still ongoing.

She said the company has communicated with both the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) and the Bahamas Electrical Managers Union (BEMU) on the firings, and has received the “full support” of both groups.

Sources have indicated that several managers at the company are expected to be reprimanded, in some form, in connection with the scheme.