Moonilal wants DPP to probe disbursement of NEDCO funds

Charging that the figures provided by Labour Minister Larry Achong on disbursements by NEDCO were “highly suspicious,”  UNC MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has written to Director of Public Prosecutions, Geoffrey Henderson asking him to investigate whether there has been “an abuse of public funds” at the Entrepeneurship Development Company Limited (NEDCO).

He also charged that one of the persons,  “a character from San Fernando,” who got a loan from NEDCO, “with a fake invoice,” was convicted of attempted murder and is now in jail, while the loan remains unpaid. He was speaking in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives yesterday.  Moonilal recalled that in answer to a question on October 31, 2002 the Labour Minister had revealed  that $17.4 million had been spent on NEDCO. Noting that the programme was launched on August 1, 2002, the UNC MP said this suggested that disbursements were made at a rate of $276,190 per day. “This appears unlikely and highly suspicious, given administrative requirements and proper accounting procedures,” he said. Stating that government had failed to release information on the recipients of NEDCO loans, Moonilal stated in his letter that there was “an apparent rampant abuse of state funds, which constitute misbehaviour in public office.”

He claimed that Government was unable to account for $10 million in this state company because the Minister of Finance’s statements that “over $30 million was spent” in loans conflicted with the information in the Social Sector Investment Programme, which gave an estimate of  expenditure of $10.4 million. He later stated that during the 2002 election campaign Government, in watergate style” brought out the Ministry of Labour staff on a Saturday night “to sign paper to give loans.” Moonilal also slammed Government for what he termed was the “cepepisation” of the work force with its “dozen or more ten-day programmes.” He said many young people were not prepared to work in the private sector as a result of this because they know that the private sector would not hire them to do nothing. The UNC MP lamented that, amidst the NEDCO handouts, all of real entrepeneurs were fleeing the country because of crime.