MSET – Poor Management of Fleet Vehicles

Auditor General's Findings

According to the Auditor General Annual Report for FY 2018/19, the GoJ Motor Vehicle Policy established guidelines for the management of fleet vehicles. However, the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology (MSET) did not implement proper systems to ensure the efficient use of public resources and adherence to GoJ regulations. It was disclosed that MSET only provided log books for one of eight fleet vehicles for 2017/18, and log books for three of 10 fleet vehicles for 2018/19.

The AuGD noted that the logbooks were not faithfully maintained to record: (i) destination of each leg of a trip; (ii) speedometer reading; (iii) petrol supplied; (iv) time and hours omitted; and (v) evidence of authorization for trips undertaken. we were unable to determine whether the fleet vehicles were being used efficiently and for official purposes only. The AuGD advised that MSET’s failure to comply with the established controls could facilitateinappropriate use and abuse. It further reported that the Ministry recognized the deficiencies in the execution of the duties within the Transport Unit, and advised that the duties of the Transport Manager had been reassigned. The Ministry also advised that a plan of action has been initiated to ensure a robust system of accountability for the Unit.