Former B.C.F.A. members say monies aren’t missing…
The former C.E.O. of the Cane Farmers Association, Carlos Magana, made some serious allegations on Wednesday against seven current and former members of the association. The charges had to do with the alleged misappropriation of funds and Magana gave specific amounts and the names of those he accused for the alleged missing monies. Today News Five tracked down two of those persons, the former Administrator and Accountant for the Orange Walk Cane Farmers Association, Adonai Blanco and Silvino Bacab, an Association Director. At his conference Magana had alleged that Blanco had misappropriated over eighty-three thousand five hundred dollars and Bacab, over forty-four thousand six hundred dollars. When we spoke with them, the two said it’s not a problem with money that went missing, but it is a current problem of receipts going missing for monies paid out. Why? According to Blanco and Bacab, to undermine them.
Adonai Blanco, Former Admin/Acct, OW Cane Farmers Assn.
“I must state that whenever a payment is done for the Association it must be accompanied via a cheque and the supporting receipts. My job, as the accountant, was to oversee that that process was being carried out. So when the auditor was hired to perform the audit on the financial status of the association, I handed all the receipts, all the cheques, all the supporting financial statements; everything that had to do with the administration of the association.”
Marion Ali
“So there were no loopholes in the system where any misappropriation could have occurred?”
Adonai Blanco
“To my surprise of what they’re alleging, my answer is no because everything was accounted.”
Marion Ali
“But it all came out as a result of an audit that was conducted. An audit is not anything that is light. It is a report card of the finances. So how could this have happened?”
Adonai Blanco
“The only way possible that I could see this have happened is that receipts have gone astray. The receipts now cannot support the payments and I can say now, along with my cashier, we handed over all receipts to accompany the payments that were made then. And that’s why I want to clarify to the whole nation of Belize that that is misleading and it can have serious implications.”
Silvino Bacab, Director, Cane Farmers Association
“When these expenses were done it was done on behalf of the Belize Cane Farmers Association, not on my behalf and the cashier hand over all the vouchers and receipts. What they do with it? I don’t know. Now because they can’t find these documents they are putting it in my name as an expense or as a thief, as how he mentioned. But mek I tell Mr. Magana that if I hear once more my name on radio I wah tek legal action against him.”
Marion Ali
“So the monies were spent but the receipts are not there to show for it.”
Silvino Bacab
“But proper receipts were done.”
Blanco also countered that when the auditor was holding meetings over the finances, no notice was sent to him as the Administrator/Accountant.
