K.H.M.H. Commission of Inquiry comes to an end

It started on November twenty-sixth with a revealing statement from the Deputy Auditor General, Wayne Simon and over the three week period, about a dozen persons were called to testify. Simon told the K.H.M.H. Commission of Inquiry that the Audit Department found serious irregularities for the period under review, January 2007 to June 2009. At its conclusion today, many persons were called for clarifications. But the most striking revelation was when documents provided showed that a company by the name of Flamingo Exports in Miami Florida was paid more than once for the same set of chiller parts. In one instance, there were parts sent in the name of K.H.M.H. which the hospital never received because when it failed to pick them up they were auctioned off. The hospital’s current Finance Director, Carlos Perrera, said the mix up occurred at a time when the K.H.M.H. was already going through its transition.

Carlos Perrera, Finance Director, K.H.M.H.
“There was a bunch of items sitting at the Customs that needed to be cleared and that was requested by the new management to clear these documents. Once that was done we were unable to acquire any documents. The only thing that we had was an invoice from Mr. Kuylen and the payment that was made as we have here. We couldn’t get any documentation in regards to shipment; when it was shipped, where it was shipped and so forth. By that time, when we did that investigation items had already been auctioned by the Port of Belize because the assumption from management was that we went directly to Customs assuming that it would have been by the Customs Department. When we had done our investigation with Customs, Customs came back to our broker and said no documents had been located. The document in front of us shows that majority or nearly all of management was not aware of this purchase. It would have to be proved otherwise and I must say that.”

Commissioner Orvin Nicholas
“Is that payment reflected in the accounts?”

Carlos Perrera
“Yes it is reflected in the accounts.”

Orvin Nicholas
“So it could have been looked up.”

Carlos Perrera
“Of course, yes. But nobody was aware of those parts.”

Orvin Nicholas
“Can you confirm now whether there was a double payment?”

Carlos Perrera
“Yes, when I reviewed and looked at it, that brought me to the same statement I made just now; that when looking at the actual payments, in the payment made in April ’08 and the payment made in June ’08, the same invoice 1731 was paid twice and signed off by Mr. Knowles.”

Perrera says he will now move to have the supplier give the K.H.M.H. a credit note for the same amount, which is over twenty five thousand dollars.