A senior manager at Jamaica’s Houses of Parliament had free use of a Government vehicle which he parked at his house every night for nearly six months in breach of established policy.

The breach was detailed in a special audit report done by the Auditor General’s Department (AuGD), tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

In the report, Auditor General Pamela Monroe-Ellis said she conducted the special audit following allegations of mismanagement at Parliament.

Among its key findings, the AuGD reported that the use of the vehicle by the manager contravened Section 5.4.2 of the Revised Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Policy for the Public Sector.

That policy stipulates that “Government motor vehicles should only be used for official duties; therefore, on no occasion should these vehicles be used privately”.

The AuGD reported that its analysis of logbooks for the 183-day period June 20, 2024 to December 19, 2024 showed that the fleet vehicle was used by the manager for 173 days. This was inclusive of weekends and public holidays.

It said further analysis of the times recorded in the logbooks showed that the fleet vehicle was not parked at the Houses of Parliament at the end of the working day but parked at the manager’s house each day.

In its response to the AuGD, the Houses of Parliament indicated that effective June 13, 2025 — following legal guidance and instructions from the Clerk — the manager ceased driving Government vehicles.

While the unauthorised practice has reportedly come to an end, the AuGD pointed out that Government vehicles should not be retained overnight or beyond the period of the specific assignment except in special circumstances such as, where a vehicle is used to transport members of staff to and from work, or for any other justified extenuating circumstances.

The policy also authorises the accounting officer to grant permission for the extenuating circumstances; however, that officer must be satisfied of the continued safe custody of the vehicle during these assignments.

The AuGD said it saw no evidence granting the manager permission to use the vehicle due to any extenuating circumstances, and no evidence was presented that the accounting officer had conducted the necessary assessment regarding the continued safe custody of the vehicle while in the possession of the manager at nights.

In a follow-up response to the AuGD in September, the Parliament said that by memo dated August 15, 2025, the manager stated that the vehicle use was based on permission granted by the Clerk of the House in recognition of extended official hours and the need for personal safety during late-night duties.

According to the AuGD, evidence of the stated authorisation was not provided.

Separately, the audit revealed shortcomings in the management of fleet vehicles at Parliament, including a lack of proper certification for drivers, absence of required quarterly efficiency reports, and inadequate maintenance of vehicle records.

“Several vehicles have remained unused for years without timely disposal, and a motor vehicle accident was reported to the financial secretary and the auditor general approximately 15 months after the accident had occurred,” the AuGD report said.

Additionally, while the facilities and operations manager was responsible for managing the Parliament’s fleet of vehicles, the AuGD found that there was no formal designation of him as the transport manager.

The report noted that logbooks were not faithfully maintained and presented for review.

“These deficiencies not only breached the Government of Jamaica Revised Comprehensive Motor Vehicle Policy but raised concerns about oversight and asset use,” the report concluded.

According to the AuGD, the expenditures relating to the unauthorised personal use of the fleet vehicle by the senior manager are considered improper payments which ultimately resulted in a loss to the Government and it is reviewing the matter for possible surcharge action.