Podcast: Download (Duration: 3:22 — 1.4MB)
At the June Bridging the Gaps forum held in Vancouver, CPA Tiffany Couch presented an overview of questionable financial reporting handling of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project.
She describes her practice as “telling the story of what happened to people’s money.” Couch discusses her experience of requesting information from the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) under the Freedom of Information Act and showed the lack of accounting data the CRC provided.
The highlight reel covers:
Tiffany Couch
- The CRC had no financial audit or an audit of vendors for 5 to 6 years.
- Couch requested basic financial documents and was given little or no response.
- $108 million spent between 2006 and 2010 with no documentation to back up that figure
- $15 million in payments listed no vendor names
- $38 million of payments listed no product or service provided
- $77 million of $108 million has gone to a single vendor, David Evans & Associates
- David Evans & Associates has reported to the media that it has only been paid $28-30 million
- Conclusion: We need to “stop the bleeding” of money
Tiffany Couch’s full presentation from Bridging the Gaps is here: Forensic accountant Tiffany Couch shares her findings at ‘Bridging the Gaps’ event
CREDITS
Video edited by Scott Thompson
See our continuing coverage of the Columbia River Crossing Light Rail project.
Do you have information to share on the CRC? To respond anonymously call 260-816-1426. To allow your comments to be used on COUV.COM call 260-816-1429.
