BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A Senior Government official declared that the Team Unity Administration has launched a number of investigations, including one on how monies were disbursed by the Department of Constituency Empowerment.
This pronouncement was made by the Attorney-General, Hon. Vincent Byron Jr., during an exclusive interview with this publication.
It was in response to a question concerning the closure of the Constituency Empowerment Office in La Guerite in which a large number of employees were allegedly sent home last Friday (Apr. 17), with some being terminated and others on vacation.
The AG declared that he could not have provided an answer to that question because he was not fully apprised of the situation, but promised to do so in the near future.
He however stated that an investigation was launched into the financial affairs of that Department because of alleged misappropriation.
“There were large sums of Government’s money, but obviously placed in this particular department to use for political largesse where a domino competition in St. Paul’s for $55 000 and no domino was played, and fence been built in St. Peter’s for $250 000. It was used as cover to put public money, hard-earned public money, in the hands of people as a part of a political campaign. And it must be clear that if any of that happened, this Government will not stand for it, based on our promise that governance will be done properly.”
AG Byron also declared that the results of all his investigations would be publicly revealed, especially those that prove public funds were given to individuals who were not entitled.
“You cannot be protecting people who are taking up public money and throwing it away; and there has been a lot of that! And a lot of my investigations that are going on, I will be reporting to the country. These members who have been getting fly-by-night leaking of red meat to make people happy, it has to be a part of the public policy. We cannot be taking the public’s money and play politics with it.”
He emphatically stated that over the past two years large amounts of money were disbursed by the former Administration to people with the aim of gaining their votes.
“Over the last two years, tens of millions of dollars were handed out willy-nilly to people to get votes. The last regime, totally irresponsible, and in some cases they went beyond being irresponsible. So those investigations will be done, and once I have the evidence, whatever it is, will be place before the appropriate authorities for direction.”
The AG, who is also the Federation’s Minister of Justice, stated that the investigation is not aimed at putting anyone in a bad light, and that the tri-party Team Unity intends to bring a change in governance.
“We are taking our time, very diligently, and do it properly. It is not scare mongering, it is not to put anybody in a bad light, but if people have not behaved properly, if monies belonging to the public’s purse have been disbursed that should not have been disburse, those will be investigated. There’s going to be a change to how you do government.”
