Calling the report proof of a political witch hunt, former Cabinet Minister Frank McField harshly criticised the Auditor General’s preliminary Special Forensic Audit on the National Housing and Community Development Trust released on Wednesday.
The report, which was requested by the governor on 25 May, dealt with the activities of the NHCDT between 1 September 2004, and 25 May 2005.
Mr. McField said he was not given a copy of the report prior to its release.
‘I called the governor’s office and told them I was getting calls from the media and hadn’t even received a copy of the report,’ he said. ‘They had one dropped off to me later with the governor’s car.’
Contrary to the procedure with most of the Auditor General’s reports, which are tabled at the Legislative Assembly before being made public, this report was issued to the media directly from the governor’s office.
The report was also posted on the Cayman Islands Government website for access to the general public.
However, Arden McLean said in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that the report would not be debated in the House to avoid prejudicing any possible criminal investigation.
Mr. McField was critical of the seemingly contradictory approach.
‘They put this into the public domain and yet they’re not going to debate it in the Legislative Assembly,’ he said.
‘I am concerned because the report creates a cloud of suspicion of wrongdoing over me and around me,’ he said. ‘If there were an attempt to take these allegations to court, my chances of having a fair trial before a jury of my peers would be prejudiced by these irresponsible political actions of the PPM government.’
Mr. McField said he intended to file a complaint with the Complaint Commissioner’s Office about the propriety of issuing the report directly to the public.
Mr. McField also said the report was politically motivated.
‘The report says at the very beginning that the Auditor General was requested to attend a special Cabinet meeting,’ he said. ‘It then says the governor requested the Auditor General do the report. The PPM government didn’t want to make it seem like (the report) was politically motivated, so it was (requested) by the Governor.’
Mr. McField said that usually, the subject of an Auditor General’s report is consulted during an investigation and given an opportunity to respond to the findings.
Mr. McField said he was afforded neither. ‘The never called and asked me about a thing,’ he said.
Had the Auditor General consulted him, Mr. McField said he could have provided information explaining many of the Auditor General’s concerns expressed in the report.
‘Some of his assumptions are incorrect,’ he said.
Mr. McField said the report obviously relied heavily on information provided by NHCDT manager Roger Bodden, with whom he is at odds after attempting to terminate his employment in the final days of his ministry.
‘Why only ask people who are bitter and resentful with me?’ he asked. ‘Why not ask people who know.’
A detailed account of the Auditor General’s report and Mr. McField’s responses will appear in a coming edition of Caymanian Compass.
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