New twist to WASA ‘corruption’ in Senate

UNITED National Congress (UNC) chairman Wade Mark will reveal an alleged $6 billion scandal which occurred at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) under the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) when the Senate sits today at 1.30 pm. 

The Senate Minority Leader told Newsday yesterday that the PNM will have to blame a senior government minister and not the Opposition for the alleged corruption at WASA. Last week, Planning Minister Dr Keith Rowley said WASA’s current debt is $2 billion and was linked to the former government’s “madness” to enter into a long-term contract to buy water from the controversial desalination plant at Point Lisas. However Mark said Rowley was “engaging in blatant untruths” and claimed that the “actual debt of WASA” was $6 billion. According to Mark, he obtained this figure from a confidential WASA document which will be laid in the Upper House today.

The UNC chairman claimed the document contains detailed lists of WASA’s revenues, expenditures and deficits from January to December 2002. He alleged WASA’s expenditures increased significantly prior to last October’s general elections, with figures ranging between $82 to $93 million from June to October, and this proves PNM corruption at work to win votes. According to Mark, WASA’s total revenue, expenditure and deficit from January to December 2002 were $401 million, $832 million and $430 million respectively. He said there is no evidence in the document of WASA’s monthly revenues being $45 million and “they (PNM) can’t blame Desalcott.”

The UNC chairman said Government still has a lot of questions to answer regarding Canadian forensic investigator Bob Lindquist’s probe into alleged corruption at WASA and Attorney General Glenda Morean-Phillip has not said whether she has received Lindquist’s report on the matter. Mark claimed that Rowley’s statement about Government having to address the WASA situation after it restructures Caroni (1975) Limited means the imminent retrenchment of WASA workers. He slammed Government’s National Social Development Programme (NSDP) as a cover for PNM bribery to win votes in marginal constituencies and claimed persons in those areas were now receiving bills for water and electricity installed there before the last general elections. Mark also claimed Public Utilities Minister Rennie Dumas hinted at an increase in water rates was imminent and urged the population “to militantly resist” any such increase.