The Management of Travel and Hospitality Expenditures Report

ArchiveJun 10, 2014

2 min read

Policies and procedures

no contracts were in place;
no clear link to a business purpose was documented, in other words, it is unclear from the information found in the files whether or not the expenses incurred were linked to the business objectives of the Department of Tourism or MFTD;
no evidence to assess the probity of these transactions and to ensure they were in accordance with the intended purpose for which the amounts were appropriated;
transportation rates charged varied from $85 to $250 USD per hour;
there was evidence that showed usage of ground transport services while records showed that the same individuals were on personal leave;
no assessments of value for money were made or alternative options of transport considered (for example, contracting for or purchasing a vehicle to save money).
Varying Per -Diem rates were used across ministries. Rates per day ranged from as low as $40 at the Portfolio of the Civil service (POCS) to an excessive amount of $250 at the DAWLA which covered the same expenses of meals and incidentals.
Varying interpretations of what the per diems should cover.
Some staff members were paid more than senior officials, COs and even Ministers without any reason given. The Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports and Culture and Portfolio of the Civil Service's policy was to pay the CFO and Head of Departments (HODs) $50 per day while $75 per day was paid to staff for the same expenses at MFTD. A staff member at the MFTD was paid $150 per day for travel to the United Kingdom while the CO of the Financial Services organization within the same ministry was paid $90 per day for the exact same travel.
Per diems for Ministers ranged from $100 - $250 per day. The Ministry of Health, Environment, ,Sports and Culture's policy was to pay $100 per day to the Minister, while DAWLA paid $250 per day to cover the same expenses.

Published June 10, 2014