Cuffie to Auditor General: Rental issues old news

“In response to the Auditor General’s comments made at a recently held Public Account Committee, Maxie Cuffie, Minister of Public Administration and Communications said the situation identified occurred under the previous administration and has since been rectified” the release said.

“We handed back the keys to a building being rented by the Personnel Department at over $1 million plus VAT per month for the period December 10, 2012 to August 31, 2016.” The release added that government has managed to save an estimated $90 million since the return of the property.

He added that the Ministry intends buckle down on expenditure and maintains a close watch on rental agreements to avoid a repeat of renovation delays that led to the rental of the unoccupied buildings.

“Government’s monthly rental bill as at September 2015 was approximately $45,360,830 VAT exclusive. Since then we have vacated a number of properties where the rent was being paid without properties being occupied, resulting in a monthly savings of $3,216,259 VAT exclusive in rentals as at 31 May 2017, “ Cuffie said.

Ali raised the issue on Wednesday before a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee.