Audit Shocks
Ex-Health boss overpaid $6000
By Charles Pitt,
Political Editor

Vaine Teokotai, the former Secretary for Health, may be asked to repay to the Ministry part of the holiday pay he received on 22 June 2006.
Teokotai was paid $9,679.87 for 57 days of outstanding annual leave.
However, he was only entitled by law, to be paid for 20 of those days. He should have received $3,458.20. He was overpaid $6,221.67.
Audit Office reported this finding in their 1st Quarter report to Parliament for 1 July 2006 to 30 September 2006 tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
Audit Office found that due to an error Teokotai’s holiday pay had been miscalculated. However, there were also errors in his annual leave records and Teokotai failed to
keep to Public Service Commission (PSC) policies obligatory to his employment contract.
Also the PSC had not checked the validity of the annual leave payment before signing and approving the payment voucher.
NO CARDS
It was found Teokotai never submitted annual leave forms and there were no annual leave cards for him on record.
Teokotai was employed from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2006 as Secretary for Health. His annual leave entitlement was 20 days.
Audit Office found he took 5 days leave during the period 30 June 2004 and two days during the period 30 June 2005.
Under public service rules an employee may only carry forward up to 50% of any unused leave. But this must be used in the next year and if not, is forfeited. In calculating Teokotai was owed 57 days, he was carrying forward 100% of his unused leave not 50%.
RESULT
As a result of the miscalculation, the Superannuation Office must repay $913.94 to the Crown and Revenue Management must repay $2,460.87.
Audit Office has made a number of recommendations in the hope future errors can be avoided.
Crown Law has raised the question whether the failure to follow the correct processes was deliberate and intentional or not. This was not raised by the Audit Office.

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