Problems brewing at Safe
Haven, staff suspended,
auditors called in
PHILIPSBURG--Problems are brewing at Safe Haven Foundation and the foundation’s board headed by Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet has called in the auditors and placed Director Loraine Lopez-Daniel and the three other members of staff on “non-active duty.”
“We are faced with a situation of a total lack of transparency … and our treasurer has uncovered discrepancies in the financial statements we have received,” Bryson-Pantophlet told The Daily Herald last night.
She said that as a result of the “discrepancies” uncovered, a letter had been sent to the Island Government, which was requested to conduct an audit of the foundation’s financial affairs. The Government has since detailed the Government Accounts Bureau SOAB to conduct the audit.
Bryson-Pantophlet and three other members of the Board stressed that Safe Haven’s shelter for battered/abused persons remained open, its current clients were being taken care of and the foundation continued to provide services as usual.
The foundation’s actions have drawn a sharp response from Lopez-Daniel who said in a statement to this newspaper that ever since the departure of former president Liesa Euton de Marinaro last December there had been “a mad dash for power at the reins of the organisation.”
Lopez, who has been director of Safe Haven for the last six years, also contended that “the board is out of control and should be summarily dismissed.”
The board members, who were elected on December 6 last year, said that as a result of placing Lopez-Daniel and other employees on non-active duty, pending the outcome of current investigations, they are not authorised to conduct any business on behalf of the foundation or the shelter.
They also reported that Liesa Euton de Marinaro was no longer associated with Safe Haven and the shelter, having been dismissed by the board, and alleged that both she and Lopez-Daniel had been engaging in fundraising activities for Safe Haven without the knowledge and consent of the Board.
The board is also accusing Lopez-Daniel of exceeding her authority by hiring and firing staff, of not carrying out assignments given her by the board at a meeting on January 27 and of disregarding instructions from the board.
Members of the Board said there should be no anxiety about the future of Safe Haven and they wished members of the business community that have been very good to the organisation to know that the Board is determined to protect the good name of the organisation.
They also announced that the board would be convening a meeting shortly with its more than 30 volunteers to brief them about the latest developments.
In her statement Sunday, Lopez-Daniel said the foundation’s statutes indicated that the board’s function was custodial and long-term in nature, while her function, as provided for in her job description, involved the day-to-day management of the board’s affairs.
“Yet they seem to be more preoccupied with taking over my job than performing theirs,” she said.
She continued: “Members of the board feel quite within their rights to waltz in and start giving instructions. They remove documents and property (equipment) without accountability. Efforts to document this by asking them to sign for its removal have been blatantly refused.
“They have ordained themselves as counsellors getting involved with clients and seriously compromising their safety (see story in The Daily Herald dated April 9) as well as that of staff and volunteers.
“The staff at the shelter is frustrated with their high-handed approach. I ask the board to either respect my jurisdiction or dismiss me. They are currently looking for a reason. No doubt they will find one, but I seriously doubt it will withstand the scrutiny of a judge.”
And, referring to the board’s action last Friday, Lopez-Daniel said that in an act of vindictiveness, the board had “suspended the entire staff without just cause, even evicting the resident housekeeper who receives lodging as part of her job arrangement.”
She concluded: “I can safely predict that once we are dismissed, Safe Haven as we know it will cease to function. I warn both the public and government of this eventuality. This board is out of control and should be summarily dismissed.”
The current members of the board are: Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet – President; Angelique Martis-Romou – Vice President; Melba Wescott – Secretary; Jewel Laplante-Daal – Treasurer; and Betty Connor-Nisbeth – Member.
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