SVGFF seeing light in ‘unaccounted funds’ issue

The corridor of darkness which obscured the accountability of funds dispensed by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Football Federation (SVGFF) over the past two years has been lighted.{{more}}

At the General Meeting of the SVGFF held November 9, last year, it was disclosed that the sum of $96,485.00 could not be accounted for.

However, at an ordinary meeting called last Saturday, about 80 per cent of that amount was substantiated.

Second vice president and treasurer of the SVGFF Marvin Fraser noted: “We have verified with supporting documents, which the auditors can verify, for $77,000, which amounts to 80 per cent of it. The other 20 per cent we are going back to look for”

At the November meeting, affiliates had given the accounting arm of the SVGFF’s secretariat until March this year to come up with the proper documentation for the unaccounted funds.

Continuing his update, Fraser said: “They were verified with vouchers, bills including cheque stubs … of that $77,000, only $9,000 was verified on vouchers only … The other $68,000 had invoices to go with it.”

At last Saturday’s meeting, auditor Arion Barnwell, while acknowledging receipt of other documents, pointed to the misclassification of some of the transactions, which Fraser said the internal operations of the secretariat will seek to address and correct.

When quizzed by SEARCHLIGHT as to the retroactive efforts to have the accounts ascertained, Fraser agreed, “I will put it down to tardiness… Persons were not efficient in their duties… You had clash of characters intervening where people could not put their personal differences aside.”

An open-minded Fraser confessed “When Miss Barnwell came (to the SVGFF’s office) for documentation, she was met with resistance because persons believed it was not their job to actually come up with the documents, and it was the auditor’s job and she was paid for it.”

Fraser’s assessment concurred with the auditor’s review of the SVGFF accounts, which was disclosed last November, in which it pointed to several internal deficiencies in the federation’s accounting system.(RT)