THE chairman of the Board of Governors of the Bermuda College is being urged to act quickly to stamp out financial mismanagement at the facility.

Larry Mussenden, appointed to the post last Nomember, has so far remained silent on the findings of a damning report which listed a series of transactions at the publicy-funded College which did not comply with proper procedures.

The Public Accounts Committee ruled that the taxpayer was erroneously footing the bill for a number of perks enjoyed by College president Charles Green ? including his annual membership to a private club and utility charges. PAC chairman and Shadow Finance Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin this week acknowledged that it is up to the Ministry of Finance to act on the report. But she added that the College's Board of Directors should also move to resolve the issue quickly in a bid to restore public confidence in the facility. Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said: "I think that the PAC report has been issued, and that the Finance Minister will act upon the recommendations in whatsoever manner she sees fit.

"I also think that the Board of Directors has the ability to resolve this issue, even in advance of the Minister's intervention, and as such, recognising that any money spent on unauthorised expenditure serves to

disadvantage the education budget for our students, and that must be a major cause for concern."

Shadow Education Minister Neville Darrell also called on Government to end speculation on the issue. "Recent revelations about funds advanced to or appropriated by the current President of the Bermuda College seem to suggest that the climate of fiscal accountability is still relatively ill-defined in the procedures of the College," he said.

"This may very well be another case of "everything old is new again". I am loathe to refer to the matter as financial mismanagement because that at least suggests or implies a more defined and regulated fiscal environment than appears to be the case at the College. I am concerned that, as we approach the Budget season, such troubling questions remain yet unanswered about the transparency and fiscal accountability for the people's money at the College. I hope that the Minister of Finance will apprehend this matter immediately and help in clearing the air prior to the presentation of the Government Budget, which contains an allocation for the operation of the Bermuda College."

Asked if and when any action on the scandal will be taken, a Government spokesman said: "PAC reports are tabled in the House of Assembly for Government to reply in the House. The Minister of Finance, speaking on behalf of the Government of Bermuda, will respond to the Report of the PAC when the House reconvenes." Mr. Mussenden did not return calls.