Diaz clears the air

Still recovering from a heart attack suffered last month, and admitting to taking 12 pills daily, Diaz denied claims of the non-payment of $1,000 appearance fees to pan players for Carnival 2016; the purchase of two high-end cars and declared Pan Trinbago’s accounts have been audited by accounting firm Panell Kerr Foster.

In light of Minister of Community Development, Culture and Arts Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly’s announcement last month of a forensic audit of Pan Trinbago after this year’s Carnival, Diaz said the organisation was the subject of audits under previous administrations which never uncovered any mismanagement and instead saw Pan Trinbago receiving outstanding monies.

Apart from the uproar among panmen over the fees, Gadsby-Dolly had raised concerns about unaccounted for allocations to Pan Trinbago.

Diaz counters that Pan Trinbago has always shared its accounts with members during annual general meetings, every last Sunday in October.

Pan Trinbago’s accounts are also sent to the line ministry, said Diaz suggesting the information is poorly recorded.

“I want to state they were all presented to the ministry, it is rather strange in my stewardship as president I have faced nine different permanent secretaries, every one come, you have to resend documents. Documents are piled up somewhere.” Diaz hit out at the minister’s decision to have the National Carnival Commission (NCC) oversee the gate receipts for the 2017 Panorama, starting this Sunday with the semi-finals for small, medium and large conventional bands.

He insisted it was the ministry which failed to pay the panmen’s fees, an estimated $7.8 million, and accused Gadsby-Dolly of misrepresenting the facts. “People accusing Pan Trinbago of taking the money; everything for all steelbands are in the ministry. We have given the list of names to her ministry,” Diaz said.

Given the delay, Pan Trinbago took out a loan in the interim until the ministry released the funds, he explained. “We did not have money to pay $7.8 million so we felt we should go and take a loan and pay the whole thing and when we get the allocation we would settle the debt with the bank. Is then you start to hear all kind of things, we thief the money, we put it in some account. Things start to fly and the NCC start to call shots.” Giving a breakdown of how its earnings are spent, Diaz explained, “We have to pay judges fees, appearance fees, prize money, on road, accommodation for pan people, guest performances, house announcers, pan players remittances ($8-12 million), printing, professional fees, sound system, transport, security and workers wages then we present the audit. Whatever money was allocated (by Government) and this is for Panorama only, we send back the audited accounts.” He sought to clarify that Pan Trinbago has not received a subvention since the Basdeo Panday administration (1995-2000) as Carnival stakeholders were instead allowed to keep gate receipts from their shows. “This (subvention) was stopped because we were able to pay our bills from the gate receipts. We were able to pay workers salaries, rentals for five offices, stationary, all adding up to a total of $8-9 million per year. Pan Trinbago does not get an annual subvention from government, and they want to know where the money gone,” he said.

But Pan Trinbago receives funding for the staging of Panorama, Diaz said confirming the organisation had requested $30 million for Carnival 2016 but got $25 million in tranches by last October 28. On Tuesday, Pan Trinbago issued a statement saying the NCC should be probed, while stating its president had never received a salary of $75,000 with $20,000 in perks.