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Culture and Community Development Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly is awaiting an audit of the National Commission for Self Help which is currently being carried out by the Investments Division of the Ministry of Finance .
She told the T&T Guardian yesterday that there had been complaints from “persons purporting to be employees” alleging breaches and other concerns at the Commission. She said while some of the letters were either unsigned or the signatures were not clear, the contents were enough to raiase concern that all is not well at the state-run agency.
Gadsby Dolly said the Commission’s Corporate Secretary and Legal Advisor Kendra Thomas Long has put into writing a grievance against chairman Edgar Zephyrine.
Last week, when the officials of the Commission appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Thomas-Long said that several times she had expressed concerns to Zephyrine about antagonism and hostility among senior management. The T&T Guardian has obtained a copy of a document which alleges poor governance and the poor conduct.
Gadsby-Dolly said there have been “many troubling issues” regarding personalities and directors and management.
“Really and truly there are quite a number of issues we can’t deny that have been plaguing the organisation at different levels,” she admitted
The minister added: “I share the concerns of the employees and the country and it is for that reason, given our oversight, we referred it where it should be referred to be able to have a closer look into the organisation and its operations.”
Concerns have also been raised about the firing of CEO Amy Harripaul and the fact that her successor, Elroy Julien, was sent on administrative leave and has been off the job for the past nine months for allegedly spending $150 dollars on lunch for staff without the authorisation of the chairman. Matters involving Harripaul and Julien are now before the court.
Gadsby-Dolly said: “Any circumstance where a CEO is sent on leave is a worrisome circumstance and again it was on the basis of all of the issues, that we had asked for the facts of the matters to be determined, because that is the basis upon which we can make judgements.”