Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she intends bringing allegations of corruption at the Trinidad-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Imple-mentation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to regional leaders after a newspaper published details of what it said were acts of misappropriation of funds and other fraudulent accounting practices at the regional institution.
“Should the allegations be true, it is indeed cause for grave concern. Corruption of any kind is a cancer eating away at the heart of every person who should benefit from projects since every dollar corruptly taken means one dollar less for the benefit of people; and it would be even more appalling for an organisation charged with responsibility for assisting in the fight against crime to, itself, be ensnared in criminal activity,” Persad-Bissessar said.
The Sunday Express newspaper ran a front-page story quoting “reliable sources” alleging the incidents of misappropriation of funds.
Persad-Bissessar, who has responsibility for security within the quasi CARICOM cabinet, told the newspaper that in the circumstances, she would bring the allegations to the attention of other regional leaders “and request that a full investigation be undertaken, including an audit, and for steps to be taken for transparency and accountability”.
She said the funding for IMPACS remains a contentious issue particularly as several CARICOM states have not paid their contribution to the organisation, which together with its sub agencies, the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre and Joint Regional Communications Centre are specifically geared towards strategic research, programme and project implementation, evaluation, analysis and mobilisation of resources to support the collective fight against serious crime and to counter other security threats in the region.
“This, we understand, is as a result of the downturn in the economy,” she said, recalling that the last annual summit of regional leaders in Jamaica had dismissed a proposal calling for a US$5 on airline tickets to raise funds.
“Regional projects such as IMPACS are to be funded by contributions from CARICOM states. However, whilst Trinidad and Tobago has paid up its contributions (towards) IMPACS, some other states have not been able to pay up, thereby creating a deficit for funding of the project.
“Again, at the CARICOM heads meeting in Grenada this year, a similar proposal to raise funding by way of a fee on airline tickets was rejected,” Persad-Bissessar said.
– CMC
