Acts of Founded Wrongdoing
(1) Gross Mismanagement, Misuse of Government Funds and Knowingly Directing or Counselling a Person to Commit a Wrongdoing
On 8 March 2011, the DND IDO received a disclosure pertaining to the alleged wrongdoing by several DND employees, specifically:
•Gross Mismanagement and Misuse of Government Funds – it was alleged that: there were a number of personnel who routinely proceeded on excessive Temporary Duty travel which was unauthorized and seen as unnecessary, and some employees were frequently absent from the workplace, without authority; and
•Knowingly Directing or Counselling a Person to Commit a Wrongdoing – It was alleged that one individual instructed his/her staff to always book full-fare economy airfares.
The subsequent investigation, conducted by the Directorate of Special Examinations and Inquiries, concluded that:
•the allegation of gross mismanagement and misuse of Government funds was unfounded; however; ◦one individual was found to have travelled extensively but with authorization by his/her direct supervisor,
◦one individual was reimbursed for some travel to which he/she was not entitled, and
◦this same individual was absent from the workplace without authority for a significant period of time; and
•the allegation that the individual directed subordinate staff to always book full-fare economy airfares was founded.
The investigation report contained the following recommendations:
•when requesting travel authorization, the individual should provide an agenda or detailed breakdown of travel dates requested so that the supervisor would know exactly what he/she was authorizing;
•the individual’s travel and hours of work be closely monitored;
•the organization seek legal and HR advice with respect to financial recovery to cover the costs associated with extra travel days authorized but not entitled to and for the days he/she was absent from the place of work without authority.
Management has been informed of the findings and recommendations of the DSEI investigation. The management corrective action plan has fully addressed all of the DSEI recommendations and has put a process into place which will increase oversight and governance. Management has also confirmed that financial recovery has been actioned.