Tuesday, September 29, 2015
By KHRISNA VIRGIL
Tribune Staff Reporter
kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
PUBLIC Accounts Committee Chairman Hubert Chipman said yesterday that the PAC will continue to interview Urban Renewal 2.0 officials on Thursday as it eyes an end to weeks of hearing testimony centred on the programme’s operations.
Mr Chipman expects that after two Urban Renewal inspectors sit before the committee at the House of Assembly this week, the PAC will go into an analysis of all the information gathered to determine a way forward.
Following the last round of interviews, which saw Co-chairs Algernon Allen and Cynthia “Mother” Pratt questioned nearly two weeks ago, Mr Chipman said it became clear that the programme is “disjointed.”
At that time, Mr Chipman added that he was amazed to learn that while “a lot of money” is channelled through Urban Renewal, neither of the co-chairs had “any responsibility” for the funds.
“What we found is that the Urban Renewal Commission is so disjointed in terms of who is in charge of what (and) who pays what,” Mr Chipman said earlier this month.
“A lot of things are passed through Urban Renewal, the co-chairs have no responsibility for Grand Bahama, Cat Island or Eleuthera – their authority only goes up to $10,000. What we also found very interesting . . .was the (Urban Renewal) Foundation sits outside Urban Renewal, even though they raise funds in the name of Urban Renewal Foundation.”
Mr Chipman told reporters that Urban Renewal is operating under the direction of Cabinet and the Ministry of Works and Urban Development, but has no legal status of its own.
When asked about Mr Chipman’s concerns, Mr Allen previously said any money spent by the co-chairs was done wisely.
“We know, from our perspective of the commission, as co-chairs that all money spent by us in seeking to further the objectives, the aims of Urban Renewal, was spent appropriately,” Mr Allen said. “So whatever else may have been done is outside of our purview, but monies which were directed by the co-chairs, by the commission, was done appropriately.”
Earlier this year, he and Mrs Pratt engaged in a standoff with the PAC, accusing the committee of not following parliamentary procedures when it demanded that they respond to concerns raised by a Small Home Repairs report written by Auditor General Terrance Bastian.
Mr Bastian’s audit was leaked to the media in April. That report found, among other issues, that 11 contractors were paid more than $170,000 for small home repairs they had not completed or done. The government later commissioned an independent study, which contradicted this report and found that the programme did receive value for money.
Comments
TalRussell says...
Comrade Chippie here's a thought. Doesn't you thinks it's as important your party be's told that their MP's does need also wear clean red underwear. Are you telling Tribune readers all this time you been sitting right up there in House of Assembly alongsides your fellow red MP's and unless you keep thinking they only were experiencing ongoing loose bodily malfunctions, you'd have knows - it has be coming from their smelly red underwears?
Comrade Chippie, even from a standing distance down on Bay Street, they is smiling bad, like I means. likes somtin rising da level being environmentally bad.
Posted 29 September 2015, 3:54 p.m. Suggest removal
jackflash says...
Tal - what was that ramble?
You need to go sit on that dock by the sea and chill out for awhile..
Posted 29 September 2015, 4:33 p.m. Suggest removal
TalRussell says...
Comrade Jackflas, I will tell you who will need to go sit on the far end that damn 'dock' to air out her clogged nostrils after Comrade Chippie and his reds does leave the Governor-General's residence - after they present the GG, with the red MPs official letter to remove Minnis as their House leader.
Have you noticed, not a single reporter's word anywhere in The Tribune?
You'd think for the GG, they'd at least wear cleans underwears. Call in Rentokill for a complete fumigation - could require covering all pink house under massive fumigation tents.
If the GG is a prayerful lady - she'll be asking sweet Jesus, please make them red MP's strangers her residence. They does smells really bad.
Posted 29 September 2015, 4:43 p.m. Suggest removal
MonkeeDoo says...
Ain't no good for Chippy to beat up his gums. Nothin ga happen. ! How big you think the file is on the BEC BRIBE TAKER - The AG staff ain't finish readin that yet, much less arrest the culprit. The Judge ruled Blackbeard's Cay be closed - it ain't closed yet. Makin him look fool. Yinna may as well boycott the house cause they got the keys and they doing what they want. The director of prosecutions hasn't charged the AG yet with conflict of interest in her immediate families interest in shop leases at Baha Mar. God laughin though ! Rest yerself Chippie.
Posted 29 September 2015, 5:29 p.m. Suggest removal
Well_mudda_take_sic says...
Forget Urban Renewal...it's a political distraction. Start investigating the Bank of The Bahamas loans to Christie's political friends and business cronies, the fraudulent withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Bank by Christie's political friends and business cronies, the People's Crown Land that Christie has dished out and continues to dish out to his political friends and business cronies, Christie's unusually close ties to certain China Construction Company senior executives, etc. etc.
Posted 29 September 2015, 7:30 p.m. Suggest removal
ThisIsOurs says...
Post Office is inexplicable. It's really something how that man continues to scam people over and over again. You would think an alarm would go off and lights would start flashing when he sets foot in any business establishment.
Posted 30 September 2015, 5:14 a.m. Suggest removal
Wideawake says...
Wake up Official Opposition!
Posted 30 September 2015, 8:20 a.m. Suggest removal
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