Lead Stories

Former Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS), Faith Innerarity, is defending her stewardship during the events leading up to the Olympic Athletes Homecoming Week of Celebrations in 2008.

The massive multi-million-dollar celebration was the subject of a special investigation undertaken by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG). Contractor General Greg Christie referred the 142-pager to the auditor general and the financial secretary "for them to determine what steps, if any, may be taken to hold to account" Innerarity and other accountable officers in the former MICYS, now the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

But, Innerarity, a 30-year veteran of the public service, insisted that all approvals given by her were in keeping with the Government's procurement procedures and the fiduciary responsibility of a permanent secretary.

Legitimate

"There was no duplication of invoices being approved. There were no double payments. All invoices approved were legitimate and properly vetted," Innerarity told The Sunday Gleaner.

While stating that she under-stood and appreciated the role and function of the OCG, Innerarity advanced that the central focus of Christie's report is the interpretation of provisions in the Government's public-sector procurement procedures for the exemption of "artistic and cultural products and services".

"The position taken by the OCG in this regard is debatable," Innerarity said.

When The Sunday Gleaner contacted the contractor general, Christie stood firmly behind the contents of his report. "We see absolutely no merit in any of her contentions.

"It was a poorly managed programme and the accounting officer should be held account-able," Christie added.

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com