Questions were raised in the Public Accounts Committee on the tender documents filed that were stolen from the Sigatoka Town Council Special Administrator’s Office as stated in the 2013 Audit Report on Municipal Councils.
While responding to the questions, Sigatoka Town Council CEO Tulsi Ram says these files went missing when there was an internal investigation conducted.
When questioned by the Committee Chairman Ashneel Sudhakar if the files were kept in a secured place, Ram said he had no knowledge of where the files were kept back then but these files are now kept in his office under his watch.
The 2013 Audit Report on Municipal Councils stated that it is imperative that the Sigatoka Town Council maintains at all times safe custody of tender documents and documents relating to the awarding of the tenders for transparency.
It states that the audit was not able to verify the necessary tender documentation and the transparency in the awarding of the tender and the work of the tender committee relating to the contract to a company.
The Council’s comment to this recommendation states that they will ensure that in future all tender documents are properly kept in a safe place to avoid any incidents.
