What will be the cost to taxpayers for an audit at WSC? We have yet to know what the BPL audit cost taxpayers where not one staff at BPL has been charged!
Nassau, Bahamas – A serious development is unfolding now at the Water and Sewerage Corporation [WSC] after several days of banter in the press between clients, the General Manager and the newly appointed Chairman.
Now this all started after the WSC Chairman told the Tribune that he was in possession of a list of persons whose water could not be shut off by the Corporation. And then, a few days later, the newspaper decided to publish the list in an effort to cause public concern.
Chairman Gibson, a one time active Save the Bays representative, had told the Tribune a “confidential list” held 221 accounts, with a combined total of $175,000 for the period ending June 2017. Let that sit in your memory for a while.
Some days later the General Manager at WSC, Glenn Laville, warned that he was “disappointed” to see The Tribune’s report detailing the “alleged outstanding bills of its customers.” Glenn Laville said the corporation takes client privacy seriously, adding those responsible for the “illegal” leak of private records to the media will be dealt with “severely” once found. He also added that, contrary to the comments by the Chairman, WSC does not have a “NO DISCONNECT LIST”!
We at BP predicted that it was all downhill from here and guess what – we were right!
On Friday morning before Mr. Laville could begin to open his internal inquiries, the unthinkable began to unfold. A gang of Forensic Auditors from a reputable accounting firm busted open the doors at WSC, along with detectives from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, confirming that they had come to begin a Forensic Audit at the Corporation.
Chairman Gibson wrote to staff the following: “To facilitate this audit, the Board has placed the General Manager, Mr. Glen Laville, and the Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Sandra Edgecombe, on administrative leave until October 9, 2017 (the 10th, as the 9th is a national holiday). In the interim, Deputy General Manager Mr. Robert Deal has been appointed as Acting General Manager and Assistant General Manager Ms. Cheri Hanna–on Mr. Deal’s advice– will serve as the Acting Chief Financial Officer, in addition to their normal responsibilities.”
Police escorted Mrs Edgecombe off the property as she took them to her home to retrieve additional items. What a sad state we have now become!
All of the auditors inside the building are not Bahamians! And we question by whose executive authority has this exercise been decided? The Chairman?
Remember now, he is the one who breached the confidentiality clause of the Corporation, suggesting that he had a list that did not exist, according to the General Manager! And before an investigation could be done to determine as to how the Chairman exposed personal information of citizens, the police showed up to drag Mr. Laville out the building. Now something just not right is happening here.
Bahamas Press is now prepared to confirm that a senior executive at the WSC prepared the list for Gibson and that individual has now been given new responsibilities. Ah, boy.
All we say is this. This ain’t ga end well as we are sick and tired of these Gestapo antics!
We report yinner decide!
