Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall has dismissed suggestions that the late payment to public officers was not due to a shortage of government revenue but rather the late submission of claims by finance officers in the various government ministries.
Speaking on a radio program here, Cornwall did not disclose the number of people affected by the situation but admitted that several people received payment late during 2023.
“If you know something has to happen, don’t wait until the 99th hour and then blame the Ministry of Finance. We must verify the information and ensure it is cross-checked before printing the cheque,” Cornwall told radio listeners.
“If, for example, a staff member has an increase in salary to get and it’s coming from ministry X or Y, and when it gets to the Treasury, that increase is not on, that person may not get the payment, but it’s not the Ministry of Finance that pays you shortly, it is what we got from the ministry, and then we verify and that we paid it.
“I am appealing to our finance officers or permanent secretaries who are the persons who need to make sure that everything is verified from the ministry when sent to the ministry of finance, that it is done properly and without errors,” said Cornwall.
“Those persons who are skylarking, you need to make sure you do your work. If you know you did not do your work on time, don’t blame the ministry at the end of the day. I have often called my permanent secretary and the Accountant General to verify something for me, and the problem is not in the Treasury,” said Cornwall.
