Ex-chairman stopped cheque payments

FORMER CHAIRMAN of the board of The Alexandra School, Senator Velma Newton, was forced to stop cheques being disbursed to principal Jeff Broomes during her tenure because of a lack of proper paperwork.
And Newton also revealed to The Alexandra School Commission of Inquiry yesterday that a subsequent audit of the school’s special account by Government’s Auditor General showed the board was forced to repay the principal $47 000, with Broomes claiming he had used his credit card to carry out school business.
“I found out there were several payments to the principal. The Auditor General’s review showed 47 000-odd dollars had been paid to him, and for most of the expenditure, there were no reports or invoices,” Senator Newton testified.
She added that Broomes had been questioned about the cheques and had explained he had used his personal credit card to do school business.
“I remember asking for credit card receipts, but I didn’t get any.