A report revealing that taxpayers shelled out $10 million more than expected for three vehicle safety and emissions centres was today described as “strangely timed and inaccurate” by Premier Dr. Ewart Brown.

Auditor General Heather Jacobs Matthews released the report on Thursday. It stated that costs attached to the centres rose from the original budget of $5.3 million to a final cost of $15.2 million after Government “relinquished control” to two linked private companies.

Dr. Brown issued the following statement today: "The Auditor General’s reports are to the Speaker of the House who in turn tables them for the House to consider. We’re two weeks away from the first opportunity for that usual process so I found this Report’s timing and very media-based release strange.”

He said that technical officers from the Ministry of Tourism and Transport spent several months working with the Office of the Auditor General and provided detailed explanations to each and every question raised in the report. According to the Premier, many of those explanations do not feature in the report.

“This reminds me of the style of the former Auditor General and it diminishes the stature of the office when it is done this way,” he stated.

For the full story, read tomorrow’s Royal Gazette.