Jamaica Labour Party Denies Allegations of Missing $3 Trillion in Government Spending
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has vehemently denied accusations of missing funds, amounting to $3 trillion, within various government ministries. The allegations, circulating in both traditional and social media, have been labeled as "mischief and blatant lies" orchestrated by the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), their supporters, and certain elements within civil society. The JLP has launched a robust defense, emphasizing the existence of rigorous accounting procedures and systemic checks and balances that ensure the proper management of public funds.
The controversy stems from a recent report by the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP), a governance watchdog, which highlighted $3 trillion in unaccounted-for spending across 16 government entities over a period spanning six to eleven years. The JLP clarified that this figure represents expenditures that have not yet undergone external audit by the Auditor General, a process that was initially flagged as an issue in 2012/2013 during the PNP’s tenure. The party insists that these funds are not missing, but rather await the completion of the necessary auditing procedures.
Marlon Morgan, spokesperson for the JLP’s Communication Taskforce, explained that each ministry receives an annual allocation of funds approved by Parliament. At the end of each financial year, each ministry is legally obligated to prepare an appropriation account detailing its expenditures against the authorized allocation. This account is then submitted to the Auditor General for review within four months of the financial year’s end in March. Morgan acknowledged that some ministries have yet to finalize their appropriation accounts, attributing the delays to capacity issues within those ministries.
However, Morgan emphatically stated that the public can have full confidence in the government’s financial management system. He highlighted the stringent protocols in place, including the requirement of supporting documentation such as payment vouchers for every expenditure, as safeguards against the misuse or disappearance of public funds. The JLP government is committed to addressing the backlog in appropriation account certifications and has directed ministries to prioritize this task and build capacity to expedite the process.
The JLP also addressed a report published in a Florida-based publication, which they believe amplified the misinformation surrounding the issue. The party urged stakeholders to refrain from disseminating misleading information that could potentially damage Jamaica’s reputation both domestically and internationally. They emphasized their dedication to transparency and accountability in the management of public resources and reiterated that the delays in audit completion do not equate to missing funds.
The JLP’s response comes on the heels of a statement by Finance Minister Fayval Williams during a recent post-Cabinet press briefing. Williams echoed Morgan’s assertion, emphasizing that the $3 trillion figure represents unaudited expenditures, not missing funds. She urged the public not to conflate the two, reinforcing the government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparent financial management practices. The JLP government is actively working to resolve the backlog in appropriations account audits and ensure the timely submission of these accounts for scrutiny by the Auditor General. They maintain that the existing financial controls and protocols effectively safeguard public funds and prevent misappropriation.