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Laurel L. Smith is new Acting Accountant General
The Officer was advised by the Human Resources Department that she will be “reassigned” as from June 17, 2015, however, her new post and duties were not immediately known.
After public outcry and intervention, the reassigned order was cancelled by the Financial Secretary Neil M. Smith and Ms Smith remained at the Treasury Department acting as Deputy Accountant General.
New Appointment
Today Ms Smith, who has spent most of her public service career at the Treasury Department and by all reports has been an outstanding and knowledgeable civil servant, has been appointed to act in the post of Accountant General.
Our newsroom’s source in the Human Resources Department who wished not to go on record confirmed that Ms Smith was given her appointment letter last month (December 2015) and the appointment to act as Accountant General is until further notice.
However, the same source from the Department of Human Resources told our newsroom that the search is still active for a new Accountant General to fill the post on a permanent basis.
But until then Ms Smith will be in charge of all matters and duties, as it relates to the Accountant General’s post and she will be reporting directly to the Financial Secretary and indirectly to the Premier whose portfolio is the Treasury Department.
Both the new Acting Accountant General Ms Smith and the Financial Secretary Mr Smith could not be reached for a comment as of publication time.
4 different Accountant Generals under NDP
Since the NDP took office in 2011 there have been several changes of Accountant Generals. In fact, there have been four Accountant Generals in four years.
Mrs Kharid Fraser, wife of Third District Representative Honourable Julian Fraser RA, was removed from her post of Accountant General as soon as the NDP took office. Ms Anna Rabsatt was then named Acting Accountant General.
However, Ms Rabsatt was sent home under the Government programme of ‘take your vacation days or lose it’ and never returned to the post.
An Anguillan consultant assigned to the Treasury Department Kalleesha C. Mendie then became the new Acting Accountant General of the Virgin Islands.
In August 2013, however, Dr Sandra M. Beeson was confirmed in the post of Accountant General of the territory before tendering her resignation on December 2, 2014.
Prior to the recent 2015 election campaign, VIP senior member Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1) blasted the administration for the many Accountant Generals who had fled or were removed from office for political reasons.
“In three years, this Administration has had four Accountant Generals and a fifth is yet to be named. In any business where the Head Accountant flies the coop so often then something is drastically wrong with the financial management of the company,” Hon Fahie had said on January 24, 2015, during his delivery of his First District Annual Report at the Capoons Bay Recreational Grounds.
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26 Responses to “Laurel L. Smith is new Acting Accountant General”
Please make your motto Miss Smith to be the difficult you will do right away but the impossible will take a while. You need this because them dry the treasury.
But they just found 7 Million to give a broke r@$$ set of people for an airline that is to fly to Miami without even approval yet!
Surely this post requires a suitably qualified and experienced accountant. Public funds are at stake here.
Askh*le. She was doing the work but B***ie was the puppet on the string rresponsible!
dead. just loves power and title