Port Mourant NDC sends Overseer on administrative leave

…financial irregularities unearthed

Overseer of the Johns-Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Budwattie Ramnarine has been sent on administrative leave following the alleged discovery of financial irregularities.

This was disclosed by NDC Chairman Mahase Tarrick Doolara during an interview with Guyana Times.
“She (the overseer) is under investigation. We found out that the books have been tampered and she paid herself for working on Sundays, but when we checked the books, there are no record of revenue collected for Sundays,” Doolara said.
He explained that the Overseer has been paying herself $1000 for working at the Port Mourant Market as a Revenue Collector on Sundays, but investigations proved that no such collection has been done on Sundays. Following the discovery, a special meeting of the NDC was held on April 28, and a motion was moved to have her sent on administrative leave.

At the meeting, the Market Clerk related that the Overseer had instructed her and the Revenue Collector not to work on Sundays. This prompted the NDC Chair to ask for the revenue collection books, which revealed that between November 2019 and April 2020, there was no record of revenue collected on Sundays.
The Overseer reportedly admitted to the Council that she had been working on Sundays. However, she could not give a satisfactory explanation as to why there had been no revenue recorded in the books for almost half a year.
It was then suggested that she be sent on administrative leave.
The Overseer has in the past been accused of several irregularities at the Council.
During 2019, she was accused of not recording payments made by market vendors who had owed large sums in revenue. When the matter was brought to the fore last year and some vendors were contacted about monies they owed, they all stated that they had cleared their debts.
When the Council met and that issue was raised, the Overseer was asked to produce the arrears revenue book, but she could not.
The Council later reported that three revenue books had gone missing. With this in mind, the Council at last Tuesday’s special meeting penned a letter to the Local Government Commission advising that Ramnarine be sent on administrative leave.
The Overseer, who was once dismissed from the NDC and rehired under the current Administration, had been suspended since her reappointment, but the Communities Ministry overturned the suspension.
The Overseer has been accused of assaulting staff members, collecting revenue and not issuing receipts, and asking vendors to lie about the issue. She was also charged with assault of a reporter.
Back in April 2018, the Council suspended her, but she broke the locks to the building and went in and carried out the duties of the Overseer.
In November 2018, she and the then Market Clerk were allegedly involved in a physical altercation. Recommendations were again made for her removal, but the Council was unsuccessful in carrying it out.
Back then, the then Chairman Ishwarsammy Narinesammy had told this publication that it was not the first time allegations of this nature have been levelled against the Overseer.
However, the following working day after the letter was issued for her to proceed on administrative leave, Ramnarine was seen  entering the building  and opening the office.
Meanwhile, the LGC has sent a letter to the Overseer dated April 9, informing her of the allegations levelled against her.