A
alexk
Guest
The biggest con job.
That’s how Opposition Senator Wade Mark yesterday described reports on the procurement and acquisition of the US$17.4 million Galleons Passage which was laid in Parliament by Finance Minister Colm Imbert last Friday, stating that it lacked detailed information.
At a press conference at the International Waterfront, Tower D, Port-of Spain, yesterday, Mark, who was supported by a five Opposition Senators, said having perused the laid reports, he could only conclude that it was “a con job of massive proportions” executed on the population by the PNM Government.
“We are now more convinced than before that the police needs to intervene…and not only intervene but to interview starting with the Prime Minister…he is the ringleader, as well as people like Imbert.”
Mark said they were told the valuation report by Schulte Marine Concept contained 59 pages, but what they were given was a “cut and paste” and “bogus report” which Imbert relied on.
“What Mr Colm Imbert has tabled in the Parliament is a five-page report, 54 pages gone missing. We ask Imbert to table immediately the full, complete and comprehensive Schulte Marine Concept of China report of 59 pages and not five pages.”
Mark said he wondered if there was a conspiracy to defraud taxpayers with the purchase of the vessel since things were not adding up.
He said they also could not find Appendix B in the Memorandum of Agreement supplied by Imbert which outlined the vessel’s retrofitting details.
“It is not value for money and I think the people have been fleeced,” Mark said., noting the Opposition wanted a forensic investigation into the vessel.
Mark said though the Opposition had asked the Government for the Dunn and Bradstreet report among other documents, these were“still missing in action.”
“Almost six months now the vessel is sailing from China. The Fatel Razack, which had no engine, reached here before the Galleons Passage. I really want to suggest that when that boat comes here the first people to sail on that boat should be the Cabinet. Let them take a journey from Port-of-Spain to Scarborough and back…through the Bocas,” Mark said.
In his defence, however, Imbert yesterday told Guardian Media Ltd that Mark was inaccurate. He said he provided the entire valuation report by Schulte Marine Concept, stating that the “footer at the bottom of each page makes it clear it’s four pages long.”
Under each page, Imbert said, it was clearly marked 1 of 4, 2 of 4, 3 of 4 and 4 of 4.
“He is lying,” Imbert insisted, referring to Mark.