U.D.P. accuses education officials of scandal
With official corruption as the focus of its campaign, and only ten news days left until the election, the United Democratic Party has let it be known that specific accusations of scandal will be a regular feature of the party’s stretch run. Today the U.D.P. called a press conference to fire its latest salvo–this one aimed squarely at a favourite target.
Doug Singh, Chairman, United Democratic Party
“It is a reflection of the sign of our times. It is not with pleasure that I stand here to say the things I have to say”
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
So began yet another United Democratic Party press conference to reveal what they say is one more scandal within the PUP administration.
Diane Haylock, U.D.P. Candidate, Pickstock
“Officials in the Ministry of Education have been simply running a scholarship scam. They have been approving tuition grants to students at universities at home and abroad and these students have never been enrolled in the schools. We have proof here of several persons who have been receiving scholarship funds and who were not enrolled in institutions for which they are receiving the grants. Worse, in one particular case, the recipient of the grant is a mere five year old child.”
To back up their allegations, the U.D.P. provided the paperwork: documents signed by several members of staff, including Chief Executive Officer Dorian Barrow.
Diane Haylock
“We see that Ernesto Bey, the former director of tertiary level education, certified the payment for the vouchers. He also signed on behalf of the Minister, Cordel Hyde, approving the grants. Our investigation revealed that the Minister gave Ernesto Bey the authority to sign on his ministerial letterhead so that Bey would not have any problems at the treasury. In many instances, Mr. Bey also signed as witness to the person receiving the payment and then received the payment himself. So he signed as witness to his own signature. Dorian Barrow, the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Education and Sports signed the vouchers as the accounting officer. This is a very critical point because it begs the question, as to why an accounting officer did not sign. The truth is that the actual accounting officer in the Ministry of Education refused in principle to sign these bogus vouchers. And therefore, Mr. Barrow, Dorian Barrow, had to do the dirty work himself. Another person implicated in this scam is Rafael Sosa who worked the UNESCO desk in the Ministry of Education. On many occasions, he cashed vouchers on behalf of the fake students.”
A voucher was cashed in the name of Tracy Hutchinson for four thousand, for her attendance at U.B. Tracy Hutchinson has never been enrolled at U.B. Furthermore, we’re not even sure that Tracy Hutchinson herself was aware that someone was receiving tuition grants in her name.
A voucher was cashed in the name of Arlette Bennett in for three thousand on December twenty-eighth, 2001. When we checked U.B., we found that the last time that someone by the name of Arlette Bennett was enrolled at U.B., it was for the semester January to May 2001. Again, we do not know if Arlette Bennett is aware that vouchers were being made in her name.
On another voucher we have here with us here today, Edward Sanchez was collecting for Eugene Jones at U.B. It turns out that no Eugene Jones has ever been enrolled at U.B.
We have a copy of a voucher made out to Dorian Barrow, the C.E.O. in the education ministry for eight thousand for his son, Norman Barrow. It is peculiar that Dorian Barrow himself signed on this voucher that it is certified correct.
We have information showing that Amalia Young, Ernesto Bey’s sister, has been cashing vouchers on behalf of students who were supposedly attending CONALEP University in Chetumal. She recruited several other persons to collect vouchers on behalf of bogus students, supposedly attending that institution. Amalia Young was cashing vouchers in the name of one Arturo Tzul.
“A scam of this magnitude, it is very difficult to believe that the minister is not involved. Like Maxwell Samuels, does Cordel Hyde know?”
And then came the real bombshell…an eyewitness who admits she collaborated in the forgeries. Twenty-six year old Leticia Mora claims that during a six-month period from the summer of 2001 to early 2002, she went to the Treasury Department to cash vouchers made out in her name, even though she was not a student at the time.
Leticia Mora, Whistleblower
“Most of the vouchers were for six hundred dollars and probably for about two for one thousand each.”
Question:
“How often?”
Leticia Mora
“Once a month, beginning of the month mostly.”
“Personally, I know I’m not lying. They know, the people that sent me to change the vouchers know that I am not lying. They have proof. If they just go and look for it, they will find the proof. Because I know personally I signed some of the signatures, and my signature is on it. I am admitting that I did sign some of them.”
“I know I did wrong. I am willing to face the actions, because I know I did wrong. Probably at first I didn’t know I was doing it, because for the first two, three times, I didn’t realise it…I caught up with what was happening after a while.”
Question:
“What made you trust the person that came to you?”
Leticia Mora
“Actually, what happen is that they just came up to me and they asked me to just take this…they just said cash this for me, it was in my name on behalf of somebody else, so I just took it and I cashed it. But when I went back to the vehicle with the money, they said all right, so I just gave it back to them. But after two times like that, I just said, but why am I giving it to them and it’s in my name? It should be mine. But then why am I collecting money, because I don’t know why I am collecting money either. So after a while, I started and I don’t know, after a while I stopped. I am not signing any other vouchers, I haven’t been cashing any vouchers lately.”
Question:
“This person has a supervisory role, he was working with other people? How many others are involved in this?”
Leticia Mora
“This person that brought it to me is working for the ministers, but she is not actually in the… she is working for them, but she is not actually in their office working…she is a campaigner for them.”
Question:
“And she had access you’re saying to these vouchers?”
Leticia Mora
“She was the one that brought the vouchers to us.”
Question:
“This is a campaigner for Cordel?”
Leticia Mora
“She campaigns for them yes.”
Question:
“For who?”
Leticia Mora
“For Cordel.”
Mora who will not reveal the name or names of the people she gave the money to, claims she is just one of several “voucher cashers” who participated in the alleged scam. The U.D.P. claims the racket netted millions of dollars for officials from the Ministry of Education.
When News 5 contacted Chief Executive Officer Dorian Barrow, he said the allegations were totally ridiculous because he has never been involved in any kind of scam. Dr. Barrow says the Ministry provides assistance to students who request it, but did admit that it is sometimes difficult to verify that these requests are made by legitimate students. Our attempts to contact other education officials for comment, namely Ernesto Bey and Rafael Sosa, proved fruitless.
A release from the Ministry of Education late this evening calls the allegations an administrative matter, and cites the potential for irregularities is great given the sheer volume of scholarship vouchers being issued. The release states that the Ministry has been aware of these accusations for several months and is currently conducting its own investigation. Contacted by phone this evening, Minister of Education Cordel Hyde told News 5 that the U.D.P. accusations, coming two weeks before the election, are nothing more than an act of desperation by his political opponents.
