Over $100,000 Payout for License Plates & Stickers; Due Process Not Followed
Rodwell Ferguson
There have been multiple reports of shortage of license plates and stickers, but we have not been able to confirm until today that, for a few months, a shortfall was experienced and the ministry has moved to resolve the issue. But in the process, did the finance officer within the Department of Transport pay out one hundred and eight thousand dollars for the procurement of license plates and stickers to a supplier? Minister of Transport Rodwell Ferguson confirmed to News Five that the payout was flagged by C.E.O. Adele Catzim-Sanchez who wrote to the Chief Transport Officer because due process was not followed. According to Minister Ferguson, because the amount was above fifty thousand dollars, the procurement should have been put to tender. It is a matter that is being dealt with by the ministries of Public Service and Finance.
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport
“She did write the Chief Transport Officer about an issue where a hundred and eight thousand was paid to one individual for the procurement of license plates and stickers. To be very frank, I have no connection to that individual. The C.E.O. was the CabSec and then we decide which supplier that is going to deal with. And when the C.E.O. came in, as a very experienced C.E.O. because she was there before, she said that the protocol is that once it is over fifty thousand then it must go to tender and then it goes to the contractor general for approval. Apparently, there was some mishap and the hundred and eight thousand was paid out directly to one supplier. But I want to say that the CTO is not working for the last two weeks, so she was totally innocent of that.”
Reporter
“In that case, she wasn’t around for the last two weeks, how was this possible?”
Rodwell Ferguson
“Well that might have been possible because each ministry has an F.O., each department has an F.O. so apparently the F.O. went ahead and make the payment without the knowledge of the C.E.O.”
Duane Moody
“Does this F.O. then come under any kind of penalty for this decision?”
Rodwell Ferguson
“Well then that is where the Ministry of Public Service steps in and likewise the Ministry of Finance, but it was an urgent need to make sure they procure license plates to the public.”
