On Friday 19th July 2024, the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC), chaired by the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sebastien Pillay, held meetings with the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA) and the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF).
The first meeting involved the participation of CEO of SPGA Mr. Allen Cedras, accompanied by the Deputy CEO Ms. Lya Docteur. Hon. Pillay was accompanied by Hon. Georges Romain, Hon. Churchill Gill, Hon. Conrad Gabriel, Hon. Richard Labrosse, and Hon. Sandy Arissol. The officials had the opportunity to share the mitigative measures that have been put in place since the Public Hearings on the Report of the Office of the Auditor General for the Year 2022, whereby serious audit findings were scrutinized. In addition to having submitted evidence to the Committee after the Hearing, Mr. Cedras was able to provide further explanations, which included an in-depth overview on the monitoring of the revenue streams of the SPGA which include the marine parks, trails and sale of the Coco de Mers.
Following the meeting with the SPGA, the Committee then met with the CEO of SIF Dr. Frauke Fleischer-Dogley and the Chief Financial Officer Mr. Thiwanka Rajapaksha. The discussions with the SIF delegation involved a detailed scrutiny of the financial statements of the organization for the past three years. Dr. Dogley and Mr. Rajapaksha provided the Committee with the necessary financial information including statistics on the decreasing instances of poaching of the Coco de Mer and data on the different revenue streams of SIF. The Committee will continue its engagement with both entities, including environmental organisations, with the aim of obtaining more oversight on the financial mechanisms involved in the national conservation/environmental sector.
Editor’s Notes: The FPAC is one of the fundamental parliamentary mechanisms used to ensure the government is held accountable and determines if entities are making appropriate use of government resources. To provide this oversight efficiently and effectively, the FPAC hosts live broadcasted Public Hearings and Inquiries on specific issues such as the Audit Findings on the Report of the OAG.
