LUCEA, Hanover — Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie yesterday ordered an in-depth audit of the operations of the Hanover Parish Council in the wake of alleged incidents of gross impropriety, favouritism and other breaches involving the awarding of government contracts uncovered by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) at that local authority.

“The Ministry of Local Government, with immediate effect, will take full control of all documents of the Hanover Parish Council as an immediate audit of the parish council will commence,” McKenzie told a special sitting of the council yesterday.

“I have advised the mayor and the secretary/manager to ensure that the team from the Ministry of Local Government is given uncompromising support. Any act of defiance by any member of the Hanover Parish Council will be treated as an act of treason,” McKenzie warned.

He said that whosoever tries to prevent that team from obtaining “anything that they ask for will not be viewed in a manner that I will accept”.

The team, McKenzie said — which will include the ministry’s chief internal auditor, senior director of operations for the parish councils, and procurement officer — is expected to complete its work within three weeks.

“The ministry will be increasing the monitoring system here at the Hanover Parish Council, and we are going to place emphasis on compliance and operational efficiency in the Hanover Parish Council,” McKenzie emphasised.

And stressing that the members of the council have fallen down on the job, he argued that it is obvious that there needs to be a total overhaul of the operations of the council.

In a scathing 176-page report now before Parliament, the OCG outlined a number of breaches stemming from its investigation into the circumstances surrounding allegations of nepotism and conflicts of interest, favouritism, irregularity, and impropriety in the awarding of Government contracts to alleged relatives and political affiliates of two councillors.

Yesterday, McKenzie told the meeting that the council’s Procurement Committee will cease to operate with immediate effect, arguing that the body is not properly constituted, based on the requirements of the procurement guidelines.

He ordered that all councillors at the council must provide proof that they have made their annual submissions and returns to the Corruption Prevention Committee, stressing that it is a requirement that all elected members should adhere to.

McKenzie said the team will also be looking at the administrative staff at the council. The minister warned that he is willing to take the necessary actions to preserve the integrity of local government.

“There are powers that are vested in the Ministry of Local Government that I don’t need an approval to take, and I said to the secretary/manager and the mayor this morning (yesterday), in a private discussion, that the options that are open to me are options that I am prepared to take to preserve the integrity of local government. I am prepared to take those steps if it becomes necessary. I am not going to allow the situation to continue,” McKenzie remarked.

Meanwhile, mayor of Lucea Wynter McIntosh has pledged the council’s support to the audit team.

“We welcome the team that is here with us from the ministry, and we will be giving our full support,” the mayor said.