The Council of the University of the South Pacific has appointed a committee to implement the recommendations of BDO Auckland, which had been brought in to investigate allegations of mismanagement and abuse of office at the regional university.
In a statement released tonight, the Council says the BDO report resulted in a “range of findings and recommendations that will need to be addressed to ensure the sound operation of the University.”
BDO Auckland was engaged to investigate the allegations raised in a paper by the Vice-Chancellor & President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia titled “Issues, Concerns and Breaches of Past Management and Financial Decisions.”
The statement tonight does not specify what BDO’s recommendations are, but says the Commission’s work will relate to:
- Remuneration policies and control
- Inducement Allowances
- Responsibility and Acting allowances
- Bonuses
- Consultancy Arrangements
- Succession Planning
- Human Resources
- Transition Arrangements
- Governance and Oversight
- Operation of Senior Management Team
- Interface between Governance and Management
- Committee Structure and Responsibility
The Council has promised transparency, saying it will develop an action plan that will be made publicly available, and that a summary of the BDO Auckland report will also be made public “in due course.”
The Commission will report to three members of the USP Council; Committee Chairman Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna and Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
