BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME MINISTER Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris has informed that plans to move the Sugar Industry Diversification Fund (SIDF) to the Consolidated Fund would only be done “on the advice of the professional people, be it further action or investigations”.
Responding to a question from SKNVibes at his monthly press conference, Dr. Harris noted that it is “a work in progress” and that “these are matters that cannot be hurried [and] you have to do things in a proper way”.
He also declared that on completion “this would become known to the public”.
Delay in the transfer of this Fund is not sitting well with Opposition MPs, all of whom have criticised the government for not moving fast enough to implement that campaign promise.
Just recently, Opposition Senator Nigel Carty lashed out at the government on the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party’s weekly radio programme on Freedom FM.
The Party’s Chairperson, the Hon. Marcella Liburd, has been for a long period criticising the government for its slothfulness on the transfer.
But the Prime Minister, referring to Team Unity’s policy on good governance, said the proper procedures ought to be followed in dealing with the SIDF, and added that “we are not allowing ourselves to become excited about these developments. We are allowing the appropriate people to deal with them professionally”.
Since assuming office in February 2015, the Team Unity administration had solicited the services of the internationally recognized accounting firm, Ernst and Young, to conduct an audit of the books of the SIDF.
That audit highlighted several irregularities and the government had indicated that it would be seeking to have the firm returned to undertake a second round of work in the same area.
Additionally, several programmes that came under the SIDF were alleged to have been used to misappropriate funds and the government has been making efforts of recuperation.
Addressing a reporter’s question on recouping those funds, the Prime Minister explained that a number of persons were notified and have they have since begun making repayments.
“A number of persons have agreed to make payment plans. And, in fact, there are deduction orders for those who have been civil servants and have come in and put things in place to deal with that.”
Since taking office, the government, particularly Dr. Harris, has been very vocal about monies spent by the former Denzil Douglas-led Labour administration.
He had criticized a number of programmes, including the S.A.F.E and R.E.A.C.H.
