Wau orders museum audit investigation

 TOURISM, Arts and Culture Minister Guma Wau has ordered an independent audit investigation into the accounts and personnel of the National Museum and Art Gallery.

Wau said allegations of maladministration, corruption, nepotism and theft of public funds and national heritage objects had been going on for over six years and successive ministers and their boards did nothing to protect the image of the institution and museum staff.

The current board of trustees, under the presidency of Julius Violaris, could not do much to improve the situation because the board had been restrained by the former director from appointing a new director which resulted in the museum without a director for the past three years resulting in the staff not coming to work but continued to be paid.

Wau said an independent auditor from an external audit firm would carry out the investigation and report to him after two weeks.

He said from the audit report, he would recommend to the national executive council appropriate actions to put to rest negative perception of the institution and refer staff implicate for wrong doing to the police.