A forensic report from PwC says the fraud allegations levelled against three SFUO executives were not factual.
Axel Gaga
Rachiq’s resignation was announced at the start of the meeting, along with the resignation of Gaga, and Emily Seguin, the board’s Indigenous representative.
The SFUO may well be the first post-secondary student union in the country to have their university terminate their contract.
The letter highlights a series of recommendations for a new student union: a constitution that can only be amended at an annual General Assembly with a majority vote, elections managed by an independent third party, a model of governance which includes mechanisms for punitive action should trust be breached, and accountability to its membership.
The SFUO announced that three executives will vacate office, and their intention to continue operations in light of the university’s contract termination notice.
In a document recently obtained by the Fulcrum, the University of Ottawa administration has said that they expect the resignation of all SFUO members involved in the recent fraud allegations until the completion of a forensic audit.
The SFUO held their monthly Board of Administration meeting to discuss the ratification of the constitutional committee’s choice of forensic auditor, a letter received from former SFUO president, Hadi Wess, and the announcement of an executive’s resignation.
Around 50 students gathered in front of the SFUO office on Sept. 6 to protest and call for impeachment of the SFUO executives named in recent fraud allegations.
The resolution, pertaining to the forensic audit, would ensure that results from the audit cannot be used in a prosecution unless approved by the BOA. Further, the board would call upon Wess to pay the federation $994 in external legal fees by Oct. 1.
“Allegations against Dorimain range from fraudulent use of SFUO funds under the guise of office cleaning and the catering of the SFUO Leader Action event on April 28, while Rachiq is accused in the report of possibly forging the certification of a “faulty” club called Testing Restaurants UOttawa and claiming funds for personal use.”
The elections committee further took measures to “restore faith in the elections office,” like making sure ballots were stored in a locked storage room off campus and that multiple people were counting each ballot.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, and Thursday, Feb. 1, candidates for this year’s general election for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) went head to head in the annual debates.
In the wake of another year of low student engagement and budget concerns, the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) has modified executive positions and roles for the next academic year.
The board saw a motion regarding just cause for absence of certain members at the Dec. 3 meeting that read: “Be it resolved, that the VP finance, president, and VP equity give the board of administration just cause for their absences at the December 3 meeting.”
The first motion detailed caps on SFUO executive salaries, which was met with applause by many in the room, and the second outlined the need for student involvement in course curriculums.
