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By Jerome Teelucksingh (T&T Bureau) |
They receive separate pay checks, each receiving a housing allowance of $5,000 and travel allowances of $3,500. On 28 February, the government decided to implement the Salaries Review Commission's recommendations (of October 1998) which means Manning's salary is $25,000. His wife Hazel, uses PBL 1, an official vehicle of the Prime Minister's residence. Though she has access to the vehicle, she receives a traveling allowance of $3,500. The payment of travel allowances to the Mannings is in addition to the fact that Manning has access to an state vehicle and a driver.
The wastage of taxpayers' dollars is exposed on a monthly basis. In one apparent corruption expose, the PNM government is conducting an investigation into the flat in London which is currently rented by Panday's two daughters. The controversy is centered on the fact that the rent being paid is too low for such a posh area. Panday's reply to the investigation is "I thought there is a problem when you pay too much rent. I don't know it was a problem when you pay too little."
But the bigger revealation was the public disclosure on the19th May, that former Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday, has an account of one million pounds in an a bank account in England. During the past two years, the account (worth TT $10 million) was reportedly in his wife's nameOma, however, his name was recently added as a signatory.
The Pandays did not reveal the existence of the London account to the Integrity Commission. Subsequnetly, the Commission requested an explanation for Basdeo Panday failing to disclose the sum. However, in a strange twist of events, Panday has asked for additional time to explain the existence of the account.
Initially Panday had maintained that he had no bank account abroad.
"This bank account was opened by my wife to disburse education expenses for our kids. Some years ago she asked me to affix my name to the account so if anything happened to her, the children would be able to receive money for t
heir
education uninterrupted," Panday said."I never dealt
with that bank account in any way and I had no transaction with
this." Subsequently, at a UNC meeting in Gasparillo, Panday said he had no idea how much money was in the account. He said the account was opened in the 1980s.
On 28 June, at the annual dinner and fashion show hosted by the Women's arm of the UNC, Oma Panday began to show signs of public pressure. Oma stated, "Villifying Oma Panday might sell newspapers but doesn't build or create anything noble for our country." She told the UNC supporters that if she had ten million dollars, the first thing she would do is buy over all the newspapers and make them "worthy of your readership".
Oma explained that the account was for her children's education and her husband became a signatory in the event that something happened to her.
But despite her fiery statements of irresponsible journalism, Oma Panday still needs to explain to the nation the issue surrounding her $10 million bank account acording to MATT president Dale Enoch
Meanwhile, the home of Carlos John, a UNC member of Parliament was searched by the police. The investigation was prompted by speculation that John deposited $200,000 in an account held by Oma Panday. John was also being investigated for accepting $500, 000 from UNC financierIsh Galabransingh. He has since announced his retirement from politics.
The Attorney General, Glenda Morean has since initiated an investigation into the Pandays' account. The Integrity Commission is also currently investigating the financial matter. A public official who makes a false declaration is liable to a fine of $250,000 and to 10 years imprisonment.
When questioned whether he was concerned about the investigation, Panday calmly replied, " Of course not, certainly not. If they are investigating, we must let them investigate. We shouldn't do anything to prevent them from investigating."
Panday also stated that he felt all the allegations of corruption in the UNC will be gone at the end of the term of the PNM. He stated "they are uncovering nothing and are now scraping the bottom of the barrel."
On the contrary, the corruption scandal has already resulted in six top personalities, being arrested on a total of 45 fraud charges. Among the charges laid were misbehavior in public office, money laundering and corruption. The offence were supposed to have been perpetrated between 1996-2000. This was a result on months of investigating by the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) into the awarding of contracts for the $1.6 billion Piarco International Airport.
Those arrested were millionaire businessman, Ishwar Galbaransingh, Chief Corporate Secretary of Northern Construction Limited, Amrit Maharaj, CEO of Maritime Group of Companies, John Henry, Former Minister of National Security, Russell Huggins, former Finance Minister Brian Kuei Tung and his live-in companion Renee Pierre.
Meanwhile investigators from the police and Government's Anti-Corruption Unit are looking into alleged offshore UK bank accounts held in the name of two female relatives of Mrs Panday.
In another instance of abuse of power, Patrick Manning telephoned the Marabella Police Station (in South Trinidad) to enquire as to the reasons for the police detaining a man for questioning, who was formerly employed as Manning's driver. The suspect was eventually freed but questions still remain unanswered as to the reasons for Manning's actions.
The PNM also continues to create jobs for the boys. At WASA, the new security consultant is Fritz Regis, husband of Legal Affairs Minister, Camille Robinson-Regis.
Regis' appointment is the latest in a series that began with Manning appointing his wife a member of Cabinet. He then put together a bloated 24-member Cabinet. Then came the following:
· ex-PNM minister Overand Padmore as special adviser to the prime minister on national security matters
· ex-PNM minister and party vice-chairman John Donaldson as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary with responsibility for the Inspection of Missions
· ex-PNM minister Dr Cuthbert Joseph as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and adviser to Foreign Affairs Minister, Knowlson Gift.
· party heavyweight Jerry Narace, yet another Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Foreign Affairs Ministry
· deputy party leader Nafeesa Mohammed as adviser to the Attorney General
· ex-PNM minister Barry Barnes as Government's adviser on energy matters
· ex-NAR minister Herbert Atwell, as an adviser in the Office of the Prime Minister
· ex-minister in both PNM and UNC regimes- Ralph Maraj-as co-ordinator in the Ministry of Public Administration
· the return of former energy sector czar Professor Ken Julien as head of a Cabinet-appointed team to negotiate with energy giants, Exxon Mobil and BPH Billiton
· ex-PNM major Stephenson Sargeant as adviser to Local Government Minister Jarrette Narine
· party public relations officer Rose Janneire to a newly-created $12,000-a-month post of executive assistant to a non-executive chairman at the Airports Authority
On top of that has surfaced the issue of ethnic cleansing. High level employees of State companies, of Indian descent, have been fired or asked to resign in such companies as WASA and Petrotrin.