No firm for Pan Trinbago audit

In response to a question from Chaguanas West MP Ganga Singh in the House of Representatives, Gadsby-Dolly indicated, “No firm has been selected and no terms of reference have yet been developed.” At the first post-Cabinet news conference for this year at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Gadsby-Dolly first announced the conducting of this audit into Pan Trinbago.

While Pan Trinbago has received $87 million in Government subventions over the past three years, she said from now, payment to pannists will be made directly from the National Carnival Commission (NCC), bypassing Pan Trinbago, and will be subject to a verification exercise.

In a statement on Thursday, Pan Trinbago described the audit as a “hostile takeover”.

In response to another question from Singh, Gadbsy-Dolly stated, “There is a member of TUCO (Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation) and a member of Pan Trinbago on the board of the NCC.” In his second question, Singh claimed neither TUCO nor Pan Trinbago had representatives on the board.