Omar Anderson/Dionne Rose, Gleaner Writers
SIMPSON MILLER: If criminal activities took place, I will take the necessary action
LOCAL GOVERNMENT Minister Portia Simpson Miller came under heavy fire last night from forceful Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) seeking answers to a report tabled on the beleaguered National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).
In fact, some urged the minister to call in the Police Fraud Squad to investigate breaches amounting to nearly $2 billion at the solid waste agency.
Mrs. Simpson Miller's argument that she was already in the process of implementing the 21 recommendations of the Contractor General did little to appease the irate Opposition MPs.
Karl Samuda, Opposition Spokes-man on Commerce, wanted the minister to respond to a section of an earlier Auditor-General's report that noted that directors' (board members) fees amounting to more than $1 million were not subjected to income tax as required by law.
The Auditor-General has since advised that the money be collected.
INSTANCES OF FRAUD
In addition, Mr. Samuda enquired why the current Permanent Secretary in the Local Government Ministry was not dismissed, seeing that she was a member of the previous board which resigned.
Mr. Samuda also asked why the report was not sent to the police for arrests to be made seeing, he said, there were instances of fraud.
In response, Mrs. Simpson Miller said she only received the Contractor General's report yesterday and was only able to take a cursory look at it just after midday.
She also pointed out that there was no evidence in the Contractor General's report to indicate that the officers at the NSWMA used their positions for personal gain.
She, however, promised that action will be taken as soon as she carefully goes through the reports.
CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
"If criminal activities took place, I will take the necessary action," she said. "I am going to be carrying out the recommendations which include an independent audit of the authority."
"I am also going to be looking at all the issues raised by both the Contractor General and the Auditor-General to get the responses from the authority on all of these issues raised." With the minister indicating that she had no plans to call in the police, Pearnel Charles, Opposition spokesman on Local Government, said the Opposition would be bringing a resolution to Parliament.
"The Jamaica Labour Party members are asking that this be referred to the police for action to be taken. In our opinion it is a criminal act, thuggery, of nearly $2 billion ...," Mr. Charles shouted.
Mrs. Simpson Miller said the answers to the various questions will be given after the summer break when the House of Representatives resumes sittings in September.
