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Contact:
John Emmanuel
Monday, April 18, 2005 – St. Lucia’s Minister for Social Transformation,
Culture and Local Government Honourable Menissa Rambally, has been commenting on
the findings of the investigative report into the operations of the National
Conservation Authority (NCA) spanning the financial period 2000/2001 to the
present.
At a press conference on Friday, April 15, 2005 to announce the findings,
Minister Rambally whose Ministry has oversight for the NCA, said the report
pointed to deficiencies in the management operations of the NCA, a lack of
oversight and policy direction on the part of its board of directors and
weaknesses in its procedures and accounting systems.
According to the Minister, in an attempt to give the NCA a fresh start, the
appointment of the existing board has been revoked with immediate effect. In
light of that, she announced that the post of General Manager of the NCA will be
advertised and a new interim board of directors will be appointed under the
chairmanship of the Permanent Secretary in her Ministry also with immediate
effect.
The interim board will have a life of 90 days and will be mandated to oversee
the operations of the NCA during the said period, implement the recommendations
for a proposed new structure, supervise the process of recruitment of personnel
and report regularly to the Ministry during that period.
“I wish to reaffirm my commitment to the continued fulfilment of the mandate of
the authority as stipulated in the National Conservation Authority Act No. 16 of
1999,” said Minister Rambally to a large contingent of press members. She added,
“Further, I want to reassure the public of my Ministry’s commitment to the
continuation of the programmes which are serving the interest of communities
throughout St. Lucia.”
After releasing an Executive Summary of the findings of the investigation, the
Minister said, “Now that the review process has concluded and a way forward has
been defined, I look forward to the co-operation of all to ensure the successful
restoration of confidence in the operation and management of this vital public
institution.”
Members of the public can obtain detailed copies of the report from the National
Printing Corporation (NPC) or the GIS website at
http://www.stlucia.gov.lc
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