Black Immigrant Daily News

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Opposition leader Allen Chastanet told reporters Wednesday that he had presented documents to House Speaker Claudius Francis regarding a claim made in parliament the previous day.

The claim came amidst debate on the Special Prosecutor Act aimed at addressing corruption by incumbent public officials and others who have demitted office.

Chastanet had declared in the house that Castries South MP and former Saint Lucia High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Dr. Ernest Hilaire had a joint account with late Saudi billionaire Walid Juffali.

Juffali received an appointment in April 2014 as Saint Lucia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

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Chastanet made the joint account claim while calling attention to the Hilaire Range Rover controversy, which the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) dubbed ‘Rovergate’.

But Hilaire, accusing the Micoud South MP of ‘stepping out of line’ and misleading the house, told parliament that he never had a joint account with anyone in his life.

However, Chastanet declined to withdraw his statement and promised to present evidence the next day.

“I have provided to the Speaker of the House already a letter from the Auditor General indicating that the account existed,” the former Saint Lucia Prime Minister told a news conference on Wednesday morning.

According to Chastanet, the letter indicated that no permission was sought to open the account, that 66,500 pounds were placed in it, and monies from the fund went to some staff members.

He said he also provided the Speaker of the House with letters from the Accountant General.

“I also have copies of the opening of the account and that the account was in the name of Ernest Hilaire as High Commissioner and that the co-signature on it was Juffali as the Ambassador,” Chastanet told reporters.

And he explained that he would provide the remaining documents ‘early next week’.

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Education Minister Kay McConney has congratulated the full cohort of over 3,000 students who wrote the 2022 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), commonly known as the 11-plus and Common Entrance.

With many parents and adults putting much stress on students about passing to the “good schools”, the Minister took a moment to encourage all students to be happy with their results.

“I offer my congratulations to all of the students , all of you…

“Remember it is not where you go but what you do when you get there,” she advised.

Furthermore, she called on the students, “be proud to go to your secondary school and wear the colours well, do your best and give your best. Know that the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training will do everything in our power to support you in the best of outcomes.”

From today, parents could apply for reviews of scripts in-person at the Ministry of Education or for transfers via the online form on the Ministry’s website.

As it pertains to the applications for transfers, Acting Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson told parents and guardians desirous of a switch that the Ministry will assess that all the requirements are met and “it is not a first come first served basis.” She insisted it depends on spaces available and if the students fall within the particular range.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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Chief Secretary Farley Augustine at a recent press conference. Photo by David Reid

CONTRACTORS owed by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) will only be paid “the true value of their work” and not the terms of their contracts. Contractors are owed over $390 million by the THA.

Speaking on Tobago Channel Five’s Rise and Shine programme on Wednesday, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the contractors will soon start receiving payment. But he warned: “I am only paying contractors the value of their work. So in instances where we saw inflated invoices, where we saw invoices for works that are incomplete, you are only going to be paid the value of the work that was done – the true value of the work that was done.”

He has blamed the previous administration’s pre-election spending for the exorbitant debts of the THA.

Questioned how they will determine the “true value” to be paid to each contractor, he said the ongoing THA audit will assist.

“So quantity surveyors would look at the work done, look at the material used, they would also look at the quality of the materials used and cost it – that would determine the true value of the works done, and that process has already started. It is already ongoing.

“Payments would actually come before the fiscal year, sooner rather than later. In fact, I have been pushing the division to make first payments in this month of August.”

He said he is going to ensure that where corruption is suspected, that the fraud squad is involved.

“It would show that those who are now in the Minority aided and abetted and participated in some very slack behaviour and they must answer to the Tobago public for why that was so. It is frightening that some of what was discovered has become standard practice within the THA and that must be something that we have to address, and we have to treat with forcefully.”

At a July 22 news conference Augustine had announced that contractors would begin to individually meet with an independent team to discuss the way forward to receive their money.

In an interview with Newsday on Wednesday, a contractor, who wished to stay anonymous, said this has yet to materialise.

Responding to Augustine’s latest statement he said, “We have no problem with the valuation, but the evaluators have not spoken to any contractor. We’ve never had a meeting.”

He said a date needs to be confirmed when these payments would begin.

“Time is running out. Everybody has been given by the banks up to month’s end to regularise their accounts or to head to foreclosure – everybody.”

Asked about only being paid the “true value of the work,” another contractor said some contractors are willing to provide a percentage of their contract back to the assembly, but there would need to be some negotiation and discussions.

“You can’t tell me I have $100 million (contract) and I would only get $8 million; you have to have some kind of negotiation with people. They (the evaluators) know what was under the ground before concrete? They know the extent of the work? They don’t have the pictures, they don’t have the videos; so the evaluators did not, as far as we know, spoken (sic) to anybody, and this was up to this morning.”

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El liderato del Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño (PIP) reaccionó este miércoles a la filtración de una querella por parte de la Oficina de la Procuradora de las Mujeres (OPM) que incluye tres multas administrativas que alcanzan la suma de 30,000 dólares.

“Si hubiera existido la más mínima evidencia de acoso, de hostigamiento digital, de hostigamiento sexual, la señora Boria tuvo amplia oportunidad de hacer determinaciones sobre eso, porque les repito, la evidencia estaba en su poder”, dijo la vicepresidenta del PIP, María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón en conferencia de prensa.

“Pero como la evidencia era tan clara que no podían tergiversar que eso había ocurrido, por eso en ese documento tan larguísimo no había una imputación de acoso o de hostigamiento. Lo que en efecto constituye ese documento firmado en su ultima día por Lersy Boria es una confirmación de los hallazgos y determinación de la Comisión Especial en todo lo sustantivo de una corroboración de la corrección de los procesos. Reiteramos con toda la evidencia en sus manos, la subsecretaria de Estado no pudo llegar a ninguna conclusión sobre la existencia de acoso u hostigamiento”, añadió.

“El único dato cierto, que según la licenciada Boria merece el castigo de los 30 mil dólares, es que el PIP no tenía para sus empleados y empleadas protocolos y reglamentos amparados a la Ley 17 que es la Ley de Hostigamiento Sexual en el Empleo; y de la Ley 90 del 2020 que es Acoso Laboral”, mencionó.

La querella se filtró el martes y contiene la firma de la saliente procuradora de las Mujeres, Lersy Boria. La querella se radicó el 5 de agosto, justo el día en que Boria renunció a su cargo para pasar a ocupar una posición en el Departamento de Estado.

Según el documento, se le imputa una multa administrativa de 10,000 dólares, por violar la Ley 17 de 1988 que exige a los patronos un lugar libre de hostigamiento y un protocolo para el manejo de estos casos. También, le imputa otra multa de 10,000 dólares por incumplir con la política pública de Ley 20 de 2001 al fallarle a su obligación legal de promover política a favor de las mujeres; y la tercera multa, por 10,000 dólares, es por una violación a la Ley 90 de 2020 al no contar con un protocolo o políticas internas necesarias para prevenir, desalentar y evitar el acoso laboral.

Sobre la filtración de documentos, la vicepresidenta del PIP dijo que “hay documentos que los entregó el partido y están circulando digitalmente. Eso es una violación a los procedimientos adjudicativos a la Procuradora, y nuestra preocupación es lo siguiente, hay información delicada, confidencial que no puede estar circulando por ahí. Si la procuradora participa de la práctica de filtrar información de una investigación está poniendo en peligro la disponibilidad de ese foro porque le sacaron una copia, la escanearon”, señaló al asegurar que tiene 30 días para responder a los señalamientos en la querella.

Asimismo, el secretario general de esa colectividad, Juan Dalmau Ramírez dijo que : “Lersy Boria, envía este documento plagado de falsificaciones jurídicas y de manipulaciones política y como premio, la nombran a un puesto en el Departamento de Estado con un sueldazo, pero sin funciones reales que sabemos que no tiene. Ese es el contexto en que nosotros hemos manejado”.

Por otro lado, Santiago Negrón expresó que su asesor legislativo Eliezer Ríos renunció a su cargo en el Senado el pasado 22 de julio.

“Sobre Eliezer estaban proyectando que era un hostigador sexual bajo protección del PIP por el único acto de pedir que entregara unos documentos a una militante del PIP. Tiene tres niños, una niña y dos niños. Y la situación bien difícil para su esposa y su hija y sus  hijos. Él esperó a que estuviera la determinación de la comisión especial, que lo exculpa, igual que lo hace la procuradora, y determinó que el costo emocional era alto para la oficina y optó por presentar su renuncia. Ciertamente e s una pérdida para nosotros en momentos en que está muy activo el tema ambiental en el área de Aguadilla”, dijo.

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