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The truths they don't want you to read....

Monday, November 01, 2010

Who guards the guardians?

The manure is obviously meeting the air conditioning:

18. The Director of Finance and Corporate Resources submitted a
report in relation to an investigation into the award of Accountancy, Audit and
Advisory Services by Sgoiltean Ura LLP.

It was agreed:

(1) to note the Report; and
(2) that the Chief Executive submit a Report to Audit and Scrutiny
Committee seeking to establish a Scrutiny Panel to examine the issue arising from the Report.
One has trust that the Scrutiny Panel will look carefully at the role of the Chair of Sgoiltean Ura LLP.
Not that one wishes to prejudice the situation, but if it true that Councillor Norman MacDonald has refused to meet with the Internal Auditor to discuss the investigation and answer the auditors' questions about his actions, and those of the LLP, then he needs to consider his position. As the deputy to our Glorious Dear Leader, if he is refusing to meet with the internal auditors', then he cannot continue in that position, as he is undermining the work of a key element of Governance of the Comhairle.

One has no doubt, that the Panel will also consider the actions of the Chief Executive's Department in providing legal advice to the LLP whilst participating in all the relevant meetings.  However, with the Chief Executive's Department providing the remit for the Panel, and providing the legal advice as to what can and cannot be considered, it would be unfortunate if a conflict of interest at the highest levels went unacknowledged, and the Panel were not allowed to consider all relevant matters.

Is it true that the Court papers included very specific evidence of corruption and malpractice, and that these papers have not been seen by any Councillors?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dare one even think that the setting up of this 'scrutiny panel' is a jolly wheeze designed to delay matters into the long grass and/or provide a vehicle for escaping personal surcharges ?

Shurely not.

Anonymous said...

I want to know who was on the scrutiny panel that approved a sheep pen for an autistic pupil at the Nicolson. He would have been on show to other pupils like a caged animal.
To hear Dokus bleating that it was just a breakdown in communication was outrageous.

Anonymous said...

Surely anyone with any dignity would resign after the cage affair

Dr Evadne said...

Today's Word Puzzle:

Re-arrange the words to form a well known phrase:

they, nine, as, bent, all, a, note, as, bob, are.

Anonymous said...

Sack the director of finance. Hes cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of taxpayers money - all down the drain due to his actions.

Anonymous said...

What is the status of such court papers ? Are they matters of public record ?

Anonymous said...

Is deferring a decision, kicking, the act of kicking the ball into the long grass,into the long grass?

Anonymous said...

Spotted @ internal auditors today an ex COU employee long after his dismisal.

Anonymous said...

1.15


Huh ?

Anonymous said...

@12:56 Don't think the Director of Finance is to blame in fact I would say we're lucky to have who we have in this thankless role. Imagine who we might get if he left!!

It wouldn't surprise me if Cllr Macdonald is refusing to talk to Auditors as for years he and a few others have considered themselves above the law. What is required here is an external audit and perhaps then we can eradicate this cancer from our community.

Edna Milliband said...

@1.15pm

A senior busy body from the COU with nothing else better to do told you that...did they?