Finance Officer Faces Fresh Questions Over Government Spending

Finance Officer Salvador Alas is once again under scrutiny as questions continue to surface over government payments and approved expenditure at several ministries where he has worked.  The latest financial queries reportedly involve the Ministry of Sustainable Development, where Alas was most recently assigned. Sources say certain payments and spending approvals are being reviewed, although the full extent and outcome of that review have not been made public.  Alas previously served as Finance Officer at the Ministry of Defence, where auditors are examining a series of payments and purchases, including transactions valued below ten thousand dollars. He was later transferred to the Ministry of Economic Transformation before being assigned to the Ministry of Sustainable Development.

His movement between ministries has raised a wider question for the Public Service: when concerns arise about an officer’s performance or decisions, is the problem being properly investigated, or simply transferred from one government office to another?  Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet recently acknowledged that concern, saying the transfer system can sometimes result in an officer who is not meeting expectations being moved to another ministry instead of the underlying issue being addressed.  Alas has since reportedly been placed on administrative leave. Minister of the Public Service Henry Charles Usher gave only a brief comment when asked about his status and the concerns surrounding him.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service: “I think it was placed on a leave of absence for a matter internal to sustainable development. So that matter didn’t come to the Ministry of Public Service.”

It also remains unclear whether the matters under review relate only to procedural failures or whether investigators suspect more serious financial misconduct.