A staggering $3 trillion in Jamaican public spending remains unaccounted for over a six- to 11-year period, according to a review of the auditor general’s reports on 16 government entities conducted by the Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal (JAMP).
Jeanette Calder, executive director of JAMP, has called the findings an accountability crisis, with the Ministries of Education, Youth and Information, Health and Wellness, and Labour and Social Security being identified as the worst offenders.
“When we look at the money in terms of the reports that they have not provided the auditor general or the Parliament with and the value of those reports, we came up with a $3-trillion crisis,” Calder said during a media round table in Kingston.
The education ministry has not accounted for $902 billion over nine years, the health ministry for $695 billion over 10 years, and the labour ministry for $53.4 billion over the same period. Six municipal corporations were also found to have failed to document $10 billion in spending over 11 years.
Broader concerns across government
Other government entities also faced scrutiny. Six municipal corporations collectively failed to account for $10 billion over 11 years, while the Forestry Department left $8.6 billion unreported over a decade. The Department of Correctional Services accounted for $36.9 billion in unreported spending over four years, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force left $152 billion undocumented over three years.
The Office of the Prime Minister was also flagged for $12.02 billion in unaccounted spending over three years, and the Jamaican Parliament itself was found to have spent $6 billion over five years without providing documentation. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance has yet to account for $111.3 billion in appropriation accounts, alongside $482 billion in debt-amortization and $592 billion in debt-interest payments.
Calder emphasized that while these funds are not necessarily missing, the lack of transparency creates significant room for potential mismanagement or misuse. “If I have 1,000 toilet papers in the office and somebody takes two, you won’t see it. If you have 10 and you take two, somebody will notice. We’re talking about a trillion dollars,” she explained.
JAMP highlighted that Section 25 (1) of the Public Bodies Management and Accountability Act mandates that ministries submit annual reports and audited financial statements. Violations could result in penalties of up to $1 million, but enforcement has been virtually nonexistent since 2014.
Calls for reform in Jamaica gov’t
Finance Minister Fayval Williams sought to reassure Jamaicans that financial reporting processes are in place but acknowledged delays in appropriation reports spanning more than a decade. She attributed the backlog to the challenges of manual processes in some ministries, which struggle to catch up after falling behind.
“The ideal situation is for all these accounts to be ready within the timeframe that’s stipulated in law. I can tell you that several ministries are still fighting a manual process. It’s a big task, but it’s not a case where there has been no reporting,” Williams said.
JAMP, however, warned that the absence of timely reporting creates significant risks. Calder urged the enforcement of existing laws and stronger accountability mechanisms to address what she termed a systemic governance issue in Jamaica’s public sector.
