Auditor General wants to question Rufus X about housing deal

MICHAEL FINNEGAN

When the Housing Minister, Michael Finnegan made his contribution to the budget debate, he began by by giving thanks to Cuba and Venezuela on behalf of the people of Mesopotamia. According to Finnegan healthcare and education have been areas in which his division has benefit the most.  Poor Mesop. residents  have been afforded scholarships in local schools and even at the University of West Indies.  But  for the main portion of the debate, he spent pouring over a report from the auditor general, he received in July of 2009 that questions transactions involving Rufus X in the era which brought “Caliente Dancers”  in fashion and  Richard Dickie Bradley was  the Housing Minister. According to Finnegan, Rufus X who was an employee of the Housing Ministry received over half a million dollars for houses, most of which weren’t built and the C.E.O. and the financial officer  could be held accountable.  But before he got to X, the Housing Minister chided the Opposition for not attending the second day of the debate.

Michael Finnegan, Area Representative, Mesopotamia

“How disrespectful it is that the seats over there, six seats, they are empty when there were three of us over that side, we stay yah till twelve, one o’clock dah morning, and we tek dah thing weh yoh call, I no wah mention it. If I mention dah lee thing, dah lee thing dah wah big thing too. Dehn might quarrel wid me pan di radio and so fi it. Dehn might handle me like gial and I wah have to trace dehn back. So before I mention dah lee thing, I noh wah seh it but we stay cross deh and we tek it. Unnu interpret it how unnu want because some people minds are filthy. Mister Speaker, if anybody knows the whereabouts of one Rufus X, he must report immediately and directly to the Auditor General. Mister Speaker, the Auditor General wants to know his whereabouts. He wants to interview him, it’s right there in the auditor report. He wants to interview mister Rufus ex with some five hundred and sixty-seven thousand, one hundred and twenty-five dollars and fifty-nine cents Mister Speaker for some twenty-five bungalow houses, which the monies were given to him up front for construction.  This is in the Dickie Bradley period. This money was disbursed between the twenty-seventh of March to thirty-first of March, five days period ended 2003, ending the financial year. Dat dah when di financial year di done. They cannot find ten of the houses, a total of three hundred and four thousand dollars. Ih deh right yah paragraph seventeen and five of the auditor general reform. Now he was involved in a company called Hi-Tech Construction Company.  He was the number one shareholder who received this money, this five hundred and sixty-seven thousand dollars Mister Speaker.  The person who dah di financial officer, dehn should deal wid dat person also. If this story is true, the finance officer is also responsible—how you wah sign off government funds? And the CEO is also responsible. You can’t sign off government money just like that. Yer di juice ah di story. When this contract was given to him, he was an employee of the Housing and Planning Department, earning forty-eight thousand dollars a year. A public officer cannot enter into contract with his own government weh ih work fa, it is a conflict of interest. Yoh noh need lawyer or nobody fi know dat; Blind eye Jamesy could see dat. The Auditor General, I believe, will have to put these matters into the hands of the police.”

According to Finnegan, the allegations were made in the report a year ago. And before he released it, the Ministry of Housing conducted its own query before coming to similar findings.  He said that the ministry will write the auditor general to confirm the findings