Today, there was a special; sitting of the Senate in Belmopan where they debated, among other things, the General Revenue Appropriation Bill, 2023 and a whole lot more in a marathon meeting that started after 9:00, and is still ongoing at this hour.
Senator for NGO's Janelle Chanona pointed out that in discussing the budget, it's hard to have any precision when the books have not been reconciled:
Janelle Chanona, Senator For NGO's
"Confirmation that reconciliation of government accounts approximately 8000 of them are not being reconciled as they should, um, both in terms of frequency and practice. We call this out because it's not just a part of basic financial protocols but it's also called for under the law and perhaps just as significantly no one is really being held accountable, it's a lot of fingers pointing. We are comforted by the update provided last week at that briefing that there is training happening right now, perhaps, and I know it's lunch hour so maybe in a few hours. That there are trains happening this week for finance officers on reconciliation so that's important to call out that this is looking to happen or it is going to be enforced and enhanced where it has been happening because finance 101 madam president. It's not just general practice, it is essential for landing at the actuals."
"This is where we need to figure out where it is that we actual are, what we actually need to spend, and what we actually need to call out, and so whether that is happening daily, weekly, monthly it's also going to be key in revealing discrepancies irregularities, where monies are being fleeced and efficiencies exist because it took me to something that senator Cal mentioned earlier in terms of getting emotional in hearing in those same meetings, you know, 8, 9 years on that there is evidence, clear evidence to show that monies are being outwardly stolen and nobody, things just went on business per usual and it's clear that there is the auditor general as an example saying you know there are 300 and add thousand dollars missing or there is x millions of dollars that they don't know where that is going."
We'll have more from the Senate meeting in tomorrow's newscast.
