The University Student council (KSU) needs to be more transparent when managing its finances because its audit held certain inconsistencies, according to Moviment Indipendenti.

The organisation, which unsuccessfully contested the last KSU elections, yesterday said it was determined to breathe change into the council.

“Financial mismanagement is rife in the council and it has no clear policy on how expenditure is being carried out to develop student life and education at University,” movement spokesman Mark Camilleri said.

The council’s financial report, audited by PKF Malta, stated: “The audit was limited in scope as a result of certain inconsistencies in the preparation of accounting records and we were unable to fully satisfy ourselves by using other audit procedures.”

Mr Camilleri quoted this as evidence of what he said were dubious transactions.

Freshers’ Week too, he added, was dominated by private companies at the expense of the space given to university organisations.

Reacting, KSU president Carl Grech said the council was fully accountable for its finances, as could be seen through the financial report published at its annual general meeting.

“The phrase from our financial report is taken out of context. If funds were not accounted for, the auditors would not have signed them,” Mr Grech said.

The opening week at university, which started yesterday, was hosting some 50 student organisations on campus, Mr Grech said, and the council was financing the stands and their electricity bills. Moreover, the rest of the finances raised by the council were used for other student funds and KSU activities.

Mr Grech also debunked Mr Camilleri’s allegation that one KSU member had a conflict of interest because she was the daughter of one of the main sponsors of Fresher’s Week. The board member had declared this interest in the first KSU meeting and was not directly involved in “this business”, he said.