7News has been telling you about the Public Accounts Committee meetings which have been going on without PUP Chairman Julius Espat. It is the only committee which the Oppostion is allowed to chair, but Espat has repeatedly claimed that he refuses to support an inquiry that is reportedly not the mandate of this current PAC.
That's because the UDP majority wants to look into public spending prior before and after 2008, when there was a change in government administration.
The 2014 meetings of this UDP led PAC started up, and they looked into the spending which happened to the Venezuelan housing money in 2008, which was given away indiscriminately in the run-up to the general election.
After the PAC meeting, our colleagues at Plus TV asked the Pro Tem Chairman, John Saldivar, what the PAC has unearthed so far. Here's what he told them:
Hon. John Saldivar - Pro-tem Chairman, PAC
"This morning we were looking at the Venezuelan Housing Project - you know the 20 million US that was granted to the country by Venezuela half of which came initially and was given out within a 30 day period by the People's United Party government prior to the 2008 election and the other 20 million which we eventually got back from them under this new government. The report of the auditor general covered that first 20 million that was spent between December of 2007 and February of 2008."
Reporter
"Were there any missing accounts of any sort?"
Hon. John Saldivar - Pro-tem Chairman, PAC
"First of all the second 20 million was missing which was later recovered as I said. Second of all about half of the money was accounted for in terms of payment invoices and so on. Quite a bit of it the auditor general indicated that invoices were not provided for how the money was spent. Some of it about 1.5 million were put in commercial banks accounts and then disburse to recipients which was contrary to financial orders and that sort of stuff. It was very interesting to find out exactly what had happened under that program."
According to Saldivar, the Auditor General has requested a meeting with the PAC to discuss how these inquiries could be conducted in an improved fashion.
And while Chairman Espat is not attending meetings here, reports say he has been invited and will attend a PAC meeting in Trinidad early next week.
Email
Print