Wednesday 17th December 2014 Ricardo Gladiator Welch Added Newsday Story MCDONALD TO RESPOND TO $375,000 GIVEN TO CALABAR FOUNDATION OPPOSITION Chief Whip and Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald yesterday promised to respond at the appropriate time to allegations against her regarding a group called the Calabar Foundation. McDonald gave this response when Newsday asked her to comment on the disclosure of a cheque for $375,000 made out to this group by then Ministry of Community Development Culture and Gender Affairs, a few weeks before the 2010 general election. The cheque dated May 12, 2010 was issued from that ministry while the People’s National Movement (PNM) was still in office, before its electoral defeat by the People’s Partnership coalition on May 24. McDonald was the line minister from November 8, 2007 to May 25, 2010. There were unconfirmed online reports yesterday that a relative of McDonald was associated with Calabar Foundation. The reports also indicated the cheque was issued to the foundation before it was officially registered in August 2010, and was cashed in September that year. On Monday, in an i95.5FM radio interview, McDonald dismissed suggestions she was under a probe by the Integrity Commission, saying she was cleared by the commission of any wrong-doing but did not say what were the claims against her. She had indicated that in January this year she received a letter from the Integrity Commission dated December 23, 2013 indicating it found no evidence she was in breach of Integrity in Public Life laws. She believed her former constituency treasurer Adrian Clark was behind the undisclosed complaint. “ I am stating categorically ...that the Integrity Commission cleared me of whatever allegations he has accused me of,” she said in the radio interview. Asked yesterday if those allegations were related to the Calabar Foundation, McDonald did not say whether this was the matter referred to in the Commission’s letter. She did not comment on the cheque or the group. “The matter is in the hands of my attorneys,” McDonald reiterated. “I will make an appropriate statement at the appropriate time,” she said. Stating that it has been four and a half years since she left the ministry, McDonald said she found it strange this issue was now being raised with general elections due next year. McDonald was selected by the PNM’s screening committee on December 3 to stand for re-election in the Port- of-Spain South constituency which she has represented in Parliament since November 5, 2007. The cheque bears the authorised signatures of Andrea Jack and Hermia Cuffie. Contacted yesterday, Jack confirmed she was the ministry’s permanent secretary at that time but is now retired. She also confirmed Cuffie was the then deputy permanent secretary and said Cuffie is also retired. Asked about the cheque, Jack said, “It does not ring a bell at all.” She explained many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) applied to the ministry for funding. She identified the Community Action for Revival and Empowerment (CARE) and the Community Development Fund (CDF) as two of the areas from which the funds for NGOs were provided. Jack said when she was permanent secretary, her signature was automatically affixed to the ministry’s cheques, in the same way that all local currency bears the signature of the Central Bank Governor, and those cheques are issued by a machine. Stating there were clear guidelines as to how such monies were approved, Jack said, “We have a number of checks and balances.” Indicating she was at the end of this process and neither her nor McDonald had any direct involvement in it, Jack said one had to trust the system. She added that if something went wrong, one would have to examine the process. Commenting on this matter, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday said, “ One can only hope that the Integrity Commission does not drag its feet on these matters.” “My own experience with the Integrity Commission has not been the best. They still have two complaints that have been raised and I thought by now we would have had some resolution on those matters,” he added. Reiterating that he feels the Commission moves “a bit slowly,” Ramlogan, “Let’s hope that given the fact that Miss McDonald is now about to be the candidate in the next general election for the PNM, that they will move with some degree of alacrity. PNM officials have denied the allegations, saying McDonald is the victim of a conspiracy.”
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:00:47 +0000
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