An investigation by the University of Manitoba revealed wrongdoing by a senior employee during the 2019/2020 fiscal year. A whistleblower’s allegations sparked the investigation, which found that the senior employee engaged in “alleged wrongdoing of financial mismanagement and conflict of interest.”
The University of Manitoba is required under The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act (PIDA) to “implement Procedures to manage disclosures, as defined by PIDA,” since the act names the university as a “government body.” According to the report, after “an investigation and a fulsome review of all funds for which the employee was responsible,” the university “concluded that wrongdoing had occurred with respect to the purchase of goods and services, conflict of interest, and mismanagement and misuse of funds. There were also findings that the employee directed other persons to commit wrongdoing.”
The report listed weaknesses of the university’s internal controls “related to the use of discretionary funds, the Non-Purchase Order Invoice process, and the monitoring of spending patterns of expense claim submissions.” The report also provided recommendations for the university going forward, which the university has accepted: “the review recommended that the VP (Administration) initiate further analysis of the internal control issues identified by this review through separate audit or review processes in order to identify necessary policy and procedure revisions, process improvements either within or outside the applicable financial systems, and additional management reporting tools.” The investigation’s findings were also reported to the Office of the Attorney General.
“We are aware of some financial irregularities at University of Manitoba and are considering a potential audit,” Deputy Auditor General Tyson Shtykalo told CBC News in an email. A spokesperson from the University of Manitoba stated there will be no additional information about the subject of the whistleblower complaint or whether the individual still works at the university.
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