Shamfa dismisses Christlyn

In her contribution to debate on the Finance Bill 2017 in the Senate Monday night, Moore claimed that a $59,000 cellphone bill over a four day period reflected wastefulness on Cudjoe’s part.

However, Cudjoe who is also Tobago West MP, dismissed Moore’s allegations.

“I assure you that I exercise fiscal prudence in all my affairs,” Cudjoe told Newsday.

Cudjoe said that between January 29 and February 3, she was on government business attending a Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) ministers’ meeting in the Bahamas.

The minister said she always does her best to “save cost”, wherever she could. Cudjoe explained that while she was attending the conference, she limited her calls and did most of her communication through WhatsApp. Cudjoe said she communicated with her ministry and constituency office, while she was in the Bahamas.

Upon her return home, Cudjoe said she was “very surprised” to see charges on her cell phone bill. She said those charges included $1,111.06 (calls); $50,616.61 (data roaming) and $6,652.13 (Value Added Tax). This meant Cudjoe’s total bill was $58,379.80, during her time at the CTO conference.

The minister said she consulted with officials at TSTT who advised her that it had no control over data roaming charges on other networks.

Cudjoe reiterated there is no basis for any of the claims which Moore made against her, stating, “I have nothing to hid