City Councillor says market vendors’ payments missing
Belize City Councillor Kevin Singh dropped a bombshell when he disclosed to News Five today that he can’t account for monies collected from market vendors at Queen Square. The money is for arrears for rental of market stalls, but while the vendors have receipts, there are no records of their payments at City Hall. Councilor Singh says he was initially given the runaround by his colleagues at City Hall when he inquired into the accounting of the payments.
Kevin Singh, City Councillor
“They were paying ten dollars a day monthly, which would come to three hundred and ten dollars a month. That is more than the required amount which is one hundred and twenty-five dollars. So more than likely…”
Marion Ali
“That’s more than double.”
Kevin Singh
kevin singh
“Right so more than likely instead of paying one month’s rent, they are paying like two months and a half so eventually the balance was supposed to come down instead of coming up.”
Marion Ali
“But you said the balance hasn’t decreased.”
Kevin Singh
“Well it hasn’t decreased, it shows that they owe one hundred and seventy-four thousand dollars. And when I went in to try and find out, there was a lot of miscommunication inside the finance department. So I decided not to get into that problem while I am here, is to let them pay what they are supposed to pay.”
Marion Ali
“You’re the man in charge of the markets. These people are saying they have been paying, you just said yes they have been paying more than double what they’re supposed to be paying. The money is missing. You yourself said that when you went to check, the arrears is still at the same one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. What happened to that money?”
Kevin Singh
“We have a problem in City Hall sometimes where the money goes to sundries.”
Marion Ali
“But there should be an accounting of that. Where is it? Don’t you have records to show okay this is where the money went, or we’ve spent it in this area or that area?”
Kevin Singh
“Well, more than likely you would have to ask the finance.”
Marion Ali
“You went to check yourself.”
Kevin Singh
“I went to check and I couldn’t find out where the money was going.”
Marion Ali
“There was no record to show?”
Kevin Singh
“I wasn’t shown no record. All I was told is that sometimes the money goes to sundries. That means they don’t know where the money comes from; if it’s from markets, from liquor license or something so they call it sundries.”
Marion Ali
“I’m no accountant but that doesn’t seem to be an efficient way. These people have their receipts and the council has no way of showing they have been paying?”
Kevin Singh
“I’m going to let you know right now that we were having this problem still of the last two or three months lately. Whenever I go out there I would check the people’s arrears, I would take some of their receipts in and we still have this problem where some of their receipts goes to sundries, some goes to their accounts, some goes to someone else’s account and their names are on their receipt.”
So how does CitCo plan to remedy the problem? Singh says the City Administrator and the Finance Department are working on computerizing the accounting system to replace manual recording.
Computerizing the accounting system doesn’t mean a thing if you have dishonest or lazy people who are not entering the proper information. Garbage in – garbage out.
Easy.. slash zenaida’s salary in half for a year (well, not only zenaida’s salary but all the councilors too) , then buy like ten computers, network it, install quickbooks, then fire all the current workers and hire some fresh ones.. i think and hope this might help.. just my two cents..
what a shame they don’t computerized this infos being a city council. damn. so much thousands they spend and can’t buy a computer for this situation. maybe they are waiting for someone generous to donate a computer for them to use. jez. very shameful mismanagement
WEll what you think? these people are some real idiots, especially this freak here that says that they dont know where monies are going? you know all of them are just of impotent M@!$@$#ers….no wonder the other PARTY Just got away with MILS to ….I wish i could scrap some in these hard times….LOSERS
And we are still asking why people are angry? The blind leading the stupid, led by the crooked.
The Govt. of Belize , the City Counsel and all politicians in my country of Belize are a bunch of jerks who no no they a… fa they elbo. Crooked politicians they make Castro and Chavez look like saint.
Hogwash, we’re not all that stupid. Back in the days, all revenues were checked by Treasury Department. All accounts were under different Heads and Subheads and were accountable for once a week. Sundries were paid for from any chosen Acoount (Head/Sub-head) authorized by the Chief Clerk for accountability purpose. Back then we had no Computers with less so call educated officials with common sense that did a marvelous job with honesty, efficiency, and transparency that was done with a Vote Control Book and Ledgers for each account. Everything is all fu–ed up now with the Geniuses of today that are dependent on Computers and use this equipment as an excuse to hide their corruptions or otherwise. Hats off to the Public Servants in the past.