Trinidad and Tobago
Opposition MP Davendranath Tancoo has challenged the Government on its spending, claiming that in its almost ten years in office million-dollar contracts were being awarded to contractors without accountability.
Referring to the 472-page Procurement Regulator Report which was laid in Parliament last week, Tancoo said the Government needs to say how contracts valued at just about $5 billion were awarded by government institutions.
Speaking yesterday at the United National Congress (UNC) weekly media briefing, the Oropouche West MP and Opposition shadow minister for finance said the figure represented 10% of the annual budget for the whole country.
“The Regulator reported that some of the practices observed included the inappropriate and unjustified use of limited and non-competitive procurement methods. Further it was found that single and sole source methods were frequently used, indicating a refusal to follow fair, transparent and fully accountable and openly competitive process,” he said.
Tancoo called on the Government to explain why government agencies were not providing required information about contracts being awarded by them, although this was a requirement of Section 37 of the Procurement Act.
“In other words, more than half of the contracts awarded in this one year by the PNM Government through State boards and statutory bodies were in violation of the Procurement Act,” he alleged.
A country run
by criminals
Tancoo said while taxpayers’ dollars were being spent on these contracts, citizens were being denied proper services.
“Today we have a fire service with 2,000 active firemen having to share ten breathing apparatus amongst themselves in case of a fire. So 200 men have to use one breathing apparatus. So what will happen in a fire? Think of the idiocy of the situation, and the danger to fire officers. Today we have a police service which is short-staffed, lacking vehicles, bulletproof vests, computers, even furniture and basic stationery in stations. The prison service is similarly compromised because they too are severely underfunded. Our coast guard has been crippled by the absence of working vessels,” he said.
Tancoo asked the Government to take a serious look at how their mismanagement of the funding has been affecting citizens.
more
Image: Contract-agreement
Read more
Guyana
Several members of the Guyana Police Force are participating in a two-day procurement training exercise conducted by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).
The training began yesterday at the Officers’ Training Centre, Camp Road.
Head of the Guyana Police Force’s Strategic Planning Unit, Assistant Commissioner Khali Pareshram; Head of the Transport Workshop, Senior Superintendent Himnauth Sawh; Finance Officer, Superintendent Bharrat Persaud along with Dwight Dodson (Head of Operations, PPC) and several other personnel from the Public Procurement Commission were present at the opening of the two-day programme.
Finance Officer, Superintendent Persaud, during brief remarks noted that the training programme caters for members of the Guyana Police Force who are stationed within the various Regional Divisions and are responsible for procurement.
more
Image: pexels-icsa-833425
Read more
Trinidad and Tobago
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called for an investigation into the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT).
She said there must be a probe as to why the CBTT refused to allow Auditor General Jaiwantie Ramdass access to examine the bank’s electronic cheque-clearing system, which was said to be the source of the understatement in some $2.6 billion in national revenue.
Speaking at a United National Congress (UNC) meeting at the party’s Chaguanas headquarters on Monday, Persad-Bissessar said the Auditor General’s special report still does not account for almost $3 billion.
She said Finance Minister Colm Imbert used the “fig leaf” of parliamentary privilege to lambaste the Auditor General because “she stood for the truth and did the right thing”.
She said the Auditor General re-audited the accounts, which she had done previously, and the special report still does not address the “missing” money.
“You know what is the big news? There is no change. The $3 billion is still missing. Where has this money gone?” she asked.
“Has the Central Bank been complicit in cooking the books with this Government? What else is the Central Bank and Government hiding? Our confidence in the Central Bank has been diminished. I call for an enquiry into the action of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago,” she added.
“When it is you cannot have confidence in your Central Bank, which holds all the money of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, then the country really gone through,” she said.
She further called for an investigation into the replacement of $100 cotton notes to polymer notes as she pointed out that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had said that some $500 million could not be accounted for.
“When you put us back into office, we will do the enquiries,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said that under the Rowley Government, only the PNM (People’s National Movement) friends and financiers benefit while the people face the pressure of a higher cost of living from increased fuel to food prices.
She said that Monday was the last sitting in the parliamentary session and a new session starts this Friday, which places the country in an election year.
more
“You better be ready ’cause these fellas, they don’t know if they coming or they going. One day Rowley saying, ‘Don’t bother with Kamla, no election,’” she said.
Pointing out that Rowley said there are no elections soon while Energy Minister Stuart Young and Youth Development Minister Foster Cummings are telling the people to get ready for the polls, she said: “They totally confused. You know why? They don’t know if to call it or not to call it because anytime they call it, licks book! Is licks like fire and licks like peas, so they confused.”
She said Imbert has been “totally emasculated” by Young, and he (Young) has taken the PNM’s chairmanship position from Imbert, as well as the role of acting Prime Minister when Rowley is away.
She joked it would not be a surprise if Young delivered the budget.
“Faris (al-Rawi), Foster (Cummings) and Penny (Beckles) are hanging on by a thread waiting on the PNM internals in November,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar predicted that an “election budget” will be delivered as she warned people to not fall for the PNM’s false promises as the Government has delivered nothing in nine years.
“They are going to come with the same old tricks in this Columbus budget,” she said.
“When they come to this election to buy you out, they try to buy your vote with $300 in a red jersey…let them know $300 can’t make up for nine years of nothing,” she said.
She said over 4,500 people have been murdered as she questioned whether this pittance can make up for the blood spilled.
She recalled Imbert’s arrogance when he said the people did not riot when he increased fuel prices.
more
Image: audit-g8faaf0f23
Read more
Guyana
Former auditor general Anand Goolsarran has flayed the National Pro-curement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) over its apparent role in what could be a conflict-of-interest situation now that investigations into allegations of financial impropriety against Deputy Commis-sioner (ag) of Police Calvin Brutus have also placed a company allegedly owned by his wife under scrutiny.
Not naming Brutus, Goolsarran wrote in his weekly ‘Accountability Watch’ column published in the Stabroek News today: “Media reports indicate that the officer’s wife set up a company about a year ago, which company became one of suppliers of the Police Force with the full knowledge of senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs… the Public Procurement Commission should also be involved in the investigation in keeping with its mandate.
“What is most distressing is that the NPTAB offered no objection to the company being included in the list of suppliers for the force. It is not clear whether the NPTAB carried out the necessary background checks before offering its no objection. Such checks would normally include a scrutiny of the incorporation and other documents to ascertain, among others, how reputable the company is, who are the real owners, whether there is any connection with members of the force, and any other matters that may pose a conflict of interest. If the NPTAB did not conduct such checks, it would have been guilty of a serious dereliction of duty.”
Contacted yesterday, NPTAB Chairman Tarrachand Balgobin told Stabroek News that he was out of the country but referred this newspaper to CEO Arvin Parag, who said he would address questions today.
In July, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn informed that the allegations of financial impropriety made against Brutus were being investigated by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
Last week, President Irfaan Ali told reporters that SOCU was handling the matter with regard to the Brutus case and he would not intrude.
Ali’s stance was echoed by Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken, who also said that SOCU was an independent agency and had been given unrestricted scope to do its work.
Goolsarran said that since SOCU was also a part of the Guyana Police Force, “it would have been more appropriate for the Audit Office to undertake a forensic audit of the matter.”
As regards the NPTAB, he said that there have been several calls by the public and accountability observers for its complete reorganisation so that it can be seen as independent of government control and influence. “However, our pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears,” he contended.
Goolsarran pointed out that allegations of irregularities in the disciplined services were not new as successive reports of the Auditor General over the years have highlighted mismanagement and irregularities in the use of public resources.
“It is sad to note that over the years, both the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force have been the major violators of the financial rules and regulations as well as the procurement procedures, without evidence of any sanctions being imposed on the perpetrators. Instead, they are being handsomely rewarded, especially with a one month tax free bonus at the end of the year to the exclusion of public servants, teachers, nurses and other categories of government employees,” he said.
Going back to 2003, Goolsarran noted that it was reported that there were numerous breaches in the Tender Board Regulations. In particular, there was evidence of contract-splitting to avoid adjudication by the then Central Tender Board. This practice resulted in irregularities in excess of $50 million in the purchase of uniform material.
He related that further details, as gleaned from the Auditor General’s report for 2003, indicated: “(a) Amounts totalling $168.514 million were expended on the purchase of items of uniform, including uniform material. However, there was no evidence of the involvement of the Central Tender Board. In fact, there were 279 purchases totalling $145.926 million falling within the limits of $180,000 and $600,000 which would have been adjudicated by the Departmental Tender Board. It is evident that the purchases were divided into lots of on average $523,000 to bring them within the limits of the Departmental Tender Board. (b) An examination of the Departmental Tender Board minutes relating to the above purchases revealed that there were no minutes for 102 transactions valued at $58.316 million, although there was reference to such minutes on the payment vouchers. Further examination of the foolscap book in which the minutes were kept revealed that the preparation of minutes was discontinued in June 2003. In addition, the minutes were not written by the Secretary of the Tender Board but by a junior rank who was not part of the proceedings of the Tender Board. These observations would raise doubts as to whether or not meetings were actually held, especially in view of the fact that there were no details relating to the opening bids and the discussions that followed leading to the award.
more
Image pexels-ekaterina
Read more
Guyana
police were responsible for list with questionable bidder
SOCU has acquired documents relating to procurement for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) as it continues its investigation of financial impropriety claims against Deputy Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus.
NPTAB has also made it clear that the list of prequalified bidders for the GPF that it received from the Ministry of Home Affairs last year, and which has on it a company allegedly linked to the Brutus’ wife, is a standard document it receives from respective procuring entities with names of companies reviewed that could bid but only the evaluation of tenders determines who is awarded a contract.
Reliable sources told Stabroek News that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had asked NPTAB for records and documents on GPF procurement and contract awards. These documents, one source explained, were handed over but the Board was not informed about the investigations.
In July, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn informed that the allegations of financial impropriety made against Brutus were being investigated by SOCU.
Last week, President Irfaan Ali told reporters that SOCU was handling the matter with regard to the Brutus case and that he would not intrude.
Ali’s stance was echoed by Commissioner of Police (ag) Clifton Hicken, who also said that SOCU was an independent agency and had been given unrestricted scope to do its work.
Former auditor general, Anand Goolsarran, has stated that NPTAB may be guilty of dereliction of duty in the case of allegations of financial impropriety against Brutus which has also placed a company allegedly owned by his wife under scrutiny.
He posited that the Public Procurement Com-mission should also be involved in the investigation in keeping with its mandate.
“What is most distressing is that the NPTAB offered no objection to the company being included in the list of suppliers for the Force. It is not clear whether the NPTAB carried out the necessary background checks before offering its no-objection. Such checks would normally include a scrutiny of the incorporation and other documents to ascertain, among others, how reputable the company is, who are the real owners, whether there is any connection with members of the Force, and any other matters that may pose a conflict of interest. If the NPTAB did not conduct such checks, it would have been guilty of a serious dereliction of duty,” Goolsarran wrote in his Accountability column this week.
No dereliction
However, Chairman of NPTAB, Tarachand Balgobin, contended that there was no dereliction of duty by the entity as the disciplined services carries out its pre-qualification screening process of companies and sends the documents to NPTAB to add to the list of bidders. He said that NPTAB then sends its no-objection of the names of the prequalification pool back to the procuring entity.
Balgobin pointed out that a company being prequalified by an agency does not equate to a company’s right to obtain a contract as winning a tender is determined through the independent evaluation process for which the most responsive bid wins.
more
image pexels-pixabay-
Read more
