A Special Report of the Auditor General on the 2023 public accounts has not assisted in clearing up the contention around a reported $2.6 billion discrepancy, according to the Finance Minister.

In Parliament yesterday, Mr Colm Imbert said Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass’ assertion that the Ministry sought to unethically backdate the original 2023 accounts has been completely refuted.

However, he added that in her Special Report’s Audit Opinion, she did not state that she was satisfied that the discrepancy was corrected.

The Minister said this omission is being viewed by the Ministry as a continued “campaign of non-cooperation” and noted that the Special Report only “creates more unnecessary public confusion.”

He insisted that it does not satisfactorily address the core issue in the original report, which is a $2.6 billion discrepancy in revenue that government believes has been comprehensively cleared up.