By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
FOLLOWING his preliminary assessments, Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson has revealed that over $1 million in hurricane relief funds were spent without the proper protocols in Grand Bahama.
Mr Thompson, who has oversight of hurricane relief repairs and Urban Renewal in Grand Bahama, said he found the manner in which the funds were instructed to be spent “quite disturbing”.
“It was alarming that funds to the tune of well over $1 million were paid to one particular person for clean up without any scope of works on file, no bids submitted and no written verification from the Ministry of Works that the work was performed for the money spent,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Mr Thompson also found it “troubling” that persons were provided contracts of employment for $18,000 per year and received salaries to be liaisons with Family Island Administrators but never reported to the administrators.
Additionally, he said that contracts up to $200,000 were issued to people to repair public buildings without Cabinet approval, without required public bid process and little documentary evidence that the proper verification was done before monies were paid out.
An audit is underway and the minister has instructed that proper protocols are reinstated to prevent such abuse.
Mr Thompson said that the Government is aware that residents in Grand Bahama continue to face challenges caused by Hurricane Matthew, which devastated the island last October.
He said that they will be conducting an assessment of how many people have not received assistance or have applied and are still awaiting help with repairs.
“We want to ensure that all persons who qualify for assistance under the hurricane relief programme do receive that assistance they are entitled to,” he said.
“We are approaching another hurricane season and must complete the work of this programme. I have therefore instructed Administrators to notify the public in the East, West and Freeport areas to provide this office with information on persons who have not yet been assisted.”
Mr Thompson has also met with important stakeholders and has received an update on recovery efforts and repairs to date.
He met with representatives of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Administrators, the Social Services deputy director, Ministry of Works, and Supplies Officer at NEMA and the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday. Mr Thompson also met with executives of the Freeport Container Port.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 5 months ago
Yes, yes, yes......plenty of corruption under the last government costing the Bahamian people mega-millions of dollars.....that's why the people elected a new government....to investigate and hold the corrupt individuals in the last government responsible and accountable for their abuse of the public trust...but now it seems the new government led by Minnis is quite happy to tell us what we already know while at the same time being all too willing to give the big wig criminals in the last government a free pass! Mr. Kwasi Thompson, if you're not willing to gather the necessary evidence to press charges against the individuals you purport to have been engaged in illegal activities, then please keep your mouth shut!
DDK 7 years, 5 months ago
Right you are Mudda! Let's hope your dire predictions do not come to pass.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 5 months ago
The whole damn 5 years was disturbing .............. Turn over the rocks in GB until you find the Reckley and DrD stash
ThisIsOurs 7 years, 5 months ago
I hope they get every penny back from that woman
Truism 7 years, 5 months ago
Cabinet approval is required for contracts over $250,000.00. I know you just reach, but, if you don't know ask your PS.
Publius 7 years, 5 months ago
The law is $50,000 max without public tender.
Truism 7 years, 5 months ago
Tender Board approval for $50,000.00 or more, but, $250,000.00 + also requires cabinet approval
Baha10 7 years, 5 months ago
2 weeks in now and no Prosecutions yet, "the People" will not remain patient for much longer, as this was the reason for the Landslide Victory on 10th May, NOTHING ELSE!
OMG 7 years, 5 months ago
Be realistic, the new government has to get the facts, get evidence and then serve notice of prosecution. What will be a problem is if the public are fed generalities and not given specifics at to misappropriated funds and the NAMES of those involved.
Reality_Check 7 years, 5 months ago
It's also very important that those involved in gathering the evidence of wrong doing and illegal activities by senior officials in the last administration keep their traps shut until such time that criminal charges can be filed. Prosecutable cases can be irreparably harmed by politicians wagging their tongues for no good reason, and Kwasi Thompson is a classic example of an immature politician with a loose tongue!
sheeprunner12 7 years, 5 months ago
The internal audits of the Ministries and the AudGen Reports will be the evidence to prosecute the PLP Ministers, senior officers and political appointees ......... PATIENCE!!!!!!!!! ............. The new Budget year begins July 1st
Reality_Check 7 years, 5 months ago
Stop crying for patience. Anyone who knows anything about law enforcement and the criminal justice system will tell you that time always favours the criminals....records conveniently get lost, witnesses disappear, the memories of other witnesses become foggier, etc. etc. Successfully prosecuting criminals requires an aggressive gathering of the relevant evidence at the earliest possible time and court hearings on the earliest possible dates. It may be the people's time, but time is working against the people as regards their desire to see senior and other officials in the last government held accountable and responsible for their abuse of the public's trust by engaging in corrupt and other illegal actives for their own unjust self-gain and wrongful enrichment at the expense of the Bahamian people.
proudloudandfnm 7 years, 5 months ago
We all saw what that woman did after the hurricane. Brought in containers of stuff but if you couldn't prove you is PLP you was out....
Truism 7 years, 5 months ago
Cabinet ministers do not write and sign vouchers nor do they sign or issue cheques.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrades! it's refreshing to red blog posts that are not attacking the former attorney general.
BMW 7 years, 5 months ago
They gotta check how she got the old dry cleaner building as well!!
proudloudandfnm 7 years, 5 months ago
This Ministry needs to be properly defined. Freeport is depressed and all he can talk about is Urban Renewal?!?
Freeport needs our hotels re-opened immediately. We need our casino re-opened. We need our landing fees reduced. We need a whole ton of help and Urabn Renewal is not a part of that equation. We need a healthy economic environment like NOW.
This ministry to date has done absolutely nothing to improve any aspect of Freeport. It has no mandate.
Give this ministry a proper mission immediately or close it down.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 5 months ago
How about getting Freeport out of the tourism business ....... for starters????
baldbeardedbahamian 7 years, 5 months ago
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO CASTIGATE THE FORMER ATTORNET GENERAL AS A MATTER OF PRICIPLE.
TalRussell 7 years, 5 months ago
Comrades! There is nothing much outside mother nature's sunshine which you can say would appeal to Freeport's tourists?
Still to this very day tourists and business visitors are discouraged from daring to travel beyond the border separating Freeport from the rest Grand Bahama.
BahamasForBahamians 7 years, 5 months ago
Political novice at his finest.
The guy is so anxious to appear as if someone's "going to jail" that he's willing to taint the entire investigation by shooting his mouth off before the audit.
What an idiot.
If there were are any wrong doings, the perpetrators must be laughing right now. I expect nothing less from Kwasi/Crazy Thompson.
cmiller 7 years, 5 months ago
We know there was tiefin going on with the money.That's why we voted the tiefers out. What are YOU going to do now, moving forward, moving along. We can't keep taking and talking about the tiefin the PLP did. We need to move on now!!!
sealice 7 years, 5 months ago
sadly i am pretty sure the gubmint didn't break any laws giving away the money.... that's why they did it because they done it before and got away with it so they did it again.....yes you can cry shame but you can't lock them up...
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