Results of a freedom of information request show that an unnamed justice ministry employee charged $118,000 in expenses, including apartment rental in Vancouver and several trips, without providing any documentation to back up the claims.
VICTORIA – Paying out more than $100,000 in expenses without a single receipt is just another example of Liberal government mismanagement, say the New Democrats.
Results of a freedom of information request show that an unnamed justice ministry employee charged $118,000 in expenses, including apartment rental in Vancouver and several trips, without providing any documentation to back up the claims.
“In any accountable organization, the standard procedure for expense claims is that they’re approved in advance by someone with responsibility and backed up by documentation,” said Doug Routley, the New Democrat critic for citizens’ services and open government. “It seems pretty clear that procedure wasn’t followed in this case.
“This speaks volumes about the Liberals’ commitment to accountability and responsible government.”
The findings were part of an audit conducted by the Comptroller General. The heavily redacted report details expenses, including $70,200 for apartment rental in Vancouver, $23,200 for international trips, $7,100 for out-of-province trips and $64,500 for in-province trips. Of the 157 expense claims – totaling $164,500 – only 39 of them had receipts attached.
The FOI response was heavily censored, even omitting the name of the ministry and the time period involved. Routley said the government was using the guise of personal protection to avoid embarrassing a minister.
“Ultimately, responsibility should rise to the top,” said Routley. “The minister is responsible for ensuring that these processes were followed, but the redactions seem to have been made to avoid that accountability.”
Routley said in terms of the overall $44 billion annual provincial budget, the expenses claimed are relatively small, but it speaks to a larger pattern of mismanagement.
