Accounting 'indiscretions' at post office holding up pension payments -Shadick
Stabroek News
May 7, 2003
Social Security Minister Bibi Shadick is disputing claims by the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) that Old Age Pension payments were suspended owing to the negligence of the ministry, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported yesterday.
The GPOC had said in a press release on Monday that payments of Old Age Pension were temporarily suspended owing to the non-receipt of adequate funds from the ministry.
However, in a comment to GINA, Shadick stated that the real setback, which has caused the suspension of payments, is GPOC's accounting 'indiscretions'.
According to GINA, currently there are nine queries from the Ministry of Finance regarding pension vouchers. Some of these queries stem from the lack of pensioners' signatures on post office schedules, the absence of the post office rubber stamp on coupons, illegible stamps for post offices and differing information on accounting documents.
Shadick disclosed that as a result of these queries, Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance, Neermal Rekha was forced to temporarily discontinue making funds available for pension payments, thus funds from the Ministry of Finance were withheld.
The minister also charged, GINA said, that the accounting procedures at the post offices appear unreliable, since the ministry is still receiving vouchers for 2002, whereas transactions for that financial year should have already been closed in December last year.
GINA said that in a bid to rectify the problem, the minister had called an urgent meeting yesterday with officials from her ministry and the post office.
The unavailability of funds has affected Old Age Pension payments for May 2003 and GINA quoted Shadick as strongly recommending that GPOC rectify its mistake, so that pensioners can receive their money promptly.
Shadick and the GPOC had clashed earlier this year over who should be blamed for forged old age pension coupons going undetected.
