Amandala has come into possession of a letter from the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Belize (UB), Imani Fairweather-Morrison, to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, dated January 30, 2009, which makes stark allegations of “gross misconduct” and “failure to perform duties” by the University’s president, Dr. Santos Mahung, which the Board feels is grounds for his dismissal.
Dr. Mahung’s career now lies in the hands of the Prime Minister, who alone has the right to advise the Governor General whether to now dismiss him.
The Prime Minister, in speaking with Amandala this afternoon, said that after receiving the letter in question he contacted Dr. Mahung and asked for his response in writing, which he was given, and was now in the process of “weighing the evidence” and coming to a conclusion as to Dr. Mahung’s fate, at which point he would advise the Governor General. He added that he would seek legal advice on the case.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the Chair of the Board had in fact written him to initiate the process of termination/dismissal, but avoided comment on the allegations themselves, given the position he is in as the decider of Dr. Mahung’s fate.
Speaking with Amandala today, Fairweather-Morrison stated that the Board was simply following procedure and did not wish to impugn Dr. Mahung’s character or tarnish his reputation. She, too, declined to comment on the record regarding the allegations we have received, reiterating comments from Minister of Education Hon. Patrick Faber that the matter was “private.” (We were not able to speak with the Minister personally either yesterday, Wednesday, or today.)
Dr. Mahung continues as president of UB for the time being; his office line was busy both times when we tried to reach him today, and Amandala was informed this evening that Dr. Mahung is on “urgent personal leave” as of Tuesday and will return next Tuesday, April 13.
But rumours surrounding the imminent termination of the president have been swirling from earlier this year, to the point that members of the University’s Faculty and Staff Association called on the Government in March to make public the case against the president.
This evening, the president of the Faculty and Staff Association, Dr. Isabel Tun, told Amandala that they are still awaiting official disclosure of the charges from those in charge, which she said would benefit the university “in the interest of accountability to stakeholders.”
Dr. Tun stated that the faculty and staff’s representative, Leonardo Pott, had informed his fellow lecturers that he was bound by the “code of ethics and confidentiality” to not reveal what was discussed by the Board regarding Dr. Mahung’s possible termination.
Given the level of speculation, Dr. Tun told us the Board’s request seems more like a “gag order,” especially since the Minister also stated that the reason details would not be provided was because the matter concerned breaches of Dr. Mahung’s contract.
The specific allegations against President Mahung, appointed to the post of chief executive officer of the national university in November of 2007, cover alleged financial mismanagement of the University’s funds and repeated failure to adhere to and/or implement procedures, policy and Board decisions.
According to the copy of the letter in our possession, the Board has been raising the issue of “less than desirable financial management systems and practices” at UB for some time, and “calling for radical improvements to the system…, no resources (to) be spared in reconciling the issue such that UB is able to meet the legal requirements regarding financial reporting under the (University of Belize) Act. To date the University has failed to correct the deficiencies.”
In demonstrations that gripped the central campus in Belmopan last October, the issue of the University’s finances was brought to the forefront after students fought against any planned or rumored increase in student tuition, and faculty and staff argued that increments frozen since August be lifted.
Mahung, the letter states, argued for a salary freeze without informing the Board of $5 million subsequently found in several university bank accounts.
Mahung defended himself in two special sittings of the Board on October 15 and 30, 2009, respectively, by saying he was not aware of those funds.
There is also, according to the letter, a $1.3 million discrepancy between the draft independent audit for 2007-08 and the end of year report from 2008-09, which allegedly raises serious doubts about Mahung’s competency.
Further, the Board complains of “persistent problems” with getting the president to adhere to its decisions, policies and procedures. Listed examples in the letter include retaining an auditor for 2005-06 without the Board’s approval; entering into an agreement with University Management Limited (UML) without disclosing the nature of the transaction, for a greater sum than approved and without final vetting by a Board member of concerns raised by attorneys for the University to be incorporated in the final contract; failure to consult with accountant and Board member Cedric Flowers on the terms of reference for the auditors on the matter of the audit discrepancy; failure to circulate summaries of Board decisions to faculty and staff on UB projects; and most worryingly, conferring degrees on 217 students in the January 2010 mid-year graduation (the University’s first) without seeking Board approval of the list of graduates, which Fairweather-Morrison says is customary from prior to the merger in August of 2000, when the University College of Belize still existed.
In many meetings with the Board on these matters, the president dismissed these failings as mere oversights, or in the case of UML, poor advice.
The Board believes otherwise and is calling on the Prime Minister to recommend to the Governor General that Dr. Mahung be terminated, after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and pending Dr. Mahung’s explanation of the incidences referred to.
As for the Association, it is calling for “de-politicizing” of the national university – which Dr. Tun explained to us means allowing the university to have full say over who becomes its president by means of a search committee, as other universities do, rather than through the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister. This would be effected, she told us, by means of a change in the legislation, the University of Belize Act.