Submit all financial records of $468M in State funds spending – Govt to IDPADA-G

Following recent disclosures in the public, the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) has been asked to submit all financial records detailing how it spent some $500 million in State funds it had received since 2018.
This was contained in a letter dated August 31 that was sent to the organisation from the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport. It was addressed to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IDPADA-G, Olive Sampson.

According to the correspondence, which was seen by Guyana Times on Wednesday, the Ministry pointed out that it has an overarching public responsibility to ensure that public funds received by any entity are spent according to the intended objective.
“The firm position of the Ministry is that the intended objective of the public funds allocated to IDPADA-G is for the benefit and empowerment of as many Afro-Guyanese as possible. The recent disclosures, publications and public statements have provided the basis for the Ministry to have grave concerns, which require closer examination by the Ministry,” the letter detailed.
To this end, the Culture Ministry is requesting a copy of all financial records from IDPADA-G, including, but not limited to, payment vouchers, payroll, contracts, and receipts for all monies spent for the fiscal years from 2018 to the present date.
IDPADA-G has been given up to September 5, 2022 to submit all the requested documents along with an index of these to the Ministry.

Concerns raised
At a press conference two weeks ago, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo had raised questions about the spending of nearly half a billion dollars in state funds by the organization, and challenged IDPADA-G to show the monies were used to uplift Afro-Guyanese.
During a subsequent press briefing, IDPADA-G Chairman Vincent Alexander defended the organisation against Jagdeo’s assertions. Among Alexander’s assertions was that he is not paid for his work with IDPADA-G, and that Jagdeo is trying to vilify the entity, which he contended has been spending money in the African-Guyanese community.
“We are proud of the fact that we are able to fund the night schools which have brought back children into the loop of the education system. This we do in Georgetown and in the Corentyne. So that’s another instance of the outreach.”
“And many people would know of the work that was done in the Mocha Arcadia market day, which we also funded. Many people would know of the exhibitions we have had at Square of the Revolution and the Avenue,” Alexander said, describing this as physical manifestations of their work.
The organisation also sent out a statement in which it further defended itself and detailed more of its work. While they did not deny that staff were paid $42 million in 2020, as Jagdeo had laid out, IDPADA-G explained that staff provide a myriad of services to the African-Guyanese community.
But in response, the Vice President contended that Alexander’s statements left more questions than answers. Jagdeo posed the questions in his statement, such as questions on how much of the $100 million IDPADA-G received annually since 2019 was spent on salaries and details on those that were paid.
“First off, let me state that I have absolutely no intention of apologising to Vincent Alexander, and he is free to take whatever course of action he wishes. Afro-Guyanese still remain in the dark as it relates to the benefits of the close to half a billion dollars utilised. He should therefore provide details on the following:
How much of the $100M allocated annually since 2019 and $68M in 2018 was spent on paying salaries? Who are individuals that were paid? What amounts were they being paid? And how were they selected? How much of that sum was spent on rental? Who owns the buildings rented? and what process was used for the selection of the buildings?” Jagdeo questioned.
Jagdeo also questioned how many persons benefitted from capacity training? The types of training offered? Who conducted the training? And what process was used to select both the trainers and beneficiaries of the training.
Meanwhile, after this issue of its spending was brought to light, IDPADA-G last week disclosed that it distributed grant awards valued at $100,000 each to nine member organisations on Friday. A total of 24 projects was approved for grants to support community-based initiatives that aim to promote justice, recognition, and sustainable development within the African Guyanese community.  (G8)