At least one MLA is annoyed the auditor general is sniffing around for fraud on a larger-than-expected scale.
At an Internal Economy Board meeting yesterday Murray Scott of the Conservatives revealed auditor general Jacques Lapointe has been contacting people to double-check that MLAs have really made payments they said they made.
Scott said in one case he filed a receipt signed by a person who did some work for him, but Lapointe still went to the person to confirm payment. Scott bristled at what he saw as an insinuation he committed fraud.
“One of two things is being suggested here, that possibly the person didn’t receive the money and who signed that person’s name to the receipt?” said Scott.
“So I do take exception to that. I do. I would never have signed someone else’s name to a receipt. I’ve only issued money to people who provided a service.”
MLAs from all parties have heard reports of letters going out to people they’ve done business with. Premier Darrell Dexter said he believed Lapointe was just thoroughly questioning all people paid by MLAs.
Lapointe initially said he was looking into the books of only a few MLAs.
