Missing Altun Ha Funds Were Found and Deposited into NICH Account
John Morris
On the issue of missing monies, Matus’ report indicates that funds collected from archaeological sites, including Altun Ha, have been unaccounted since March eighth. Heading the Institute of Archaeology since 2013 is Doctor John Morris. Today, he spoke on two occasions when monies went missing from the institute’s daily collection. Those funds, he says, went missing during peak days on March Ninth and Christmas Day, but were subsequently recovered and deposited. According to the director, the internal auditor failed to follow up with him on the status of the recovery of the missing monies.
Dr. John Morris, Director, Institute of Archaeology
“In the five years that I’ve been a director at the Institute of Archaeology there’s only been two incidents related to either misplacement or unaccounted funds. So two incidents in five years, and we collect revenue every single day for the year, I think that’s a very, very good record. And in fact the two incidents that took place, one of them was on March Ninth which is a busy holiday and the other one was on Christmas Day and the financial officer who is here can vouch for that. We did relocate the funds, it’s not as if the funds were not located. It’s just that they were misplaced. We have funds coming from all over the country and on Christmas Day and on March Ninth, you might have a few errors here and there, but those were relocated. And I think what the, this is what we told the internal auditor, why didn’t you just come and check with me as to whether or not that issue had been resolved.”
Of note is that the Christian Workers Union, which has members at the Institute of Archaeology, last week expressed frustration with Budhrani’s management style. In a release, the union said, “Promised reforms, including salary scales with performance-based increments, remain unfulfilled. NICH staff members have long spoken of a lack of proper accountability and transparency.” The CWU also accused Budhrani of being dismissive and disrespectful, stating that some staff members have resigned as a result.
