By KEILE CAMPBELL

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg tabled an unaudited financial statement about the 2023 CARIFA Games in the House of Assembly yesterday.

His action came after the release of an Office of the Auditor General report highlighting irregularities concerning the CARIFTA games, including a lack of financial control, a failure to follow hiring procedures, unauthorised use of petty cash, and unauthorised purchases.

The auditor general’s report found that the CARIFTA games experienced a $829,821 deficit even after its initial budget jumped significantly.

Mr Bowleg pushed back against this, saying the games ended with a surplus of $185,000.

Mr Bowleg said the financial statement was not given to his ministry until January 24 this year and was not given to the auditor general before the release of last week’s report.

He said: “Madam Speaker, acknowledging there was a notable lapse in communication during the processes involved, I have asked my permanent secretary to schedule additional meetings with the Office of the Auditor General. These meetings are intended to provide further clarifications, address any identified gaps, and ensure that any concerns arising from the audits are discussed thoroughly.”

“I must express my profound disappointment that the final versions of the audit reports for the CARIFTA Games 2023 and The Bahamas Games were not brought to my attention before they were presented and tabled in Parliament.”

Mr Bowleg said he will meet with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to “critically assess the audit’s findings”.

“This engagement will serve as a crucial benchmark for future events, aiming to enhance our operational efficiencies, improve administrative protocols, and solidify our governance structures,” he said. “We must learn from this audit, strengthening our checks and balances to prevent future discrepancies and uphold our commitment to excellence.”

Shadow Minister of Finance Kwasi Thompson defended the integrity of the Office of the Auditor General, saying it should remain outside of politics.

“I think we on both sides ought to make sure that we see the auditor general’s office with the highest integrity,” he said.

“I know that my experience with the auditor general’s office, as I believe the other side’s experience with the auditor general’s office, has been with the utmost integrity.”

He said an entity that is audited can read the report, respond before its release, and have its response included in the final report.