OTTAWA — Federal justice department employees have played fast and loose with travel and hospitality rules and cost taxpayers a bundle, an internal audit reveals.
The report, completed in March 2005 but just released publicly on the department’s website last week, uncovered sweeping problems, including shoddy documentation, mixing personal and business trips, and flying business class instead of economy in violation of the rules. Weak control measures have left the department vulnerable to unauthorized spending, non-compliance to the rules, unjustified or fraudulent claims and excessive expenses, the report found.
Citing a number of “gaps and weaknesses” in the department, the report blames some breaches on ignorance. But other violations stem from a blatant disregard for federal policy or deliberate abuse of the rules, the audit said.
In four of 331 claims reviewed in the two-year fiscal period between 2002 and 2004, auditors found travellers had combined business travel with pleasure, with the public on the hook for personal expenses such as meals and ground transportation.
Loading ...
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
You must log in to post a comment.