Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has indicated he will soon reveal details about contested government investments totalling roughly $7.5 million, intensifying pressure on Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley over his handling of the funds.
"Stay tuned to a radio near you. There'll be an announcement, particularly on this matter," Penn said on an NDP radio show, without specifying when or what the revelation would contain.
The dispute involves two separate placements: $2.5 million directed to Delta Capital Partners, a Jamaica-based firm, and $5 million sent to the now-defunct Bank of Asia. Both transactions have triggered concerns that the government could lose the entire sum.
Wheatley has said he played no role in the decisions and that officials are examining how they occurred. Yet NDP figures have cast doubt on that account, pointing to his position as Finance Minister.
Second District representative Melvin "Mitch" Turnbull noted the tension: how could the Finance Minister not know about transactions of that scale? At-Large representative and former Finance Minister Ronnie Skelton went further, revealing he had pushed through a change to the Public Finance Management Act designed to block such investments without the Premier's sign-off.
Under the old rules, Skelton said, the Accountant General could place public funds without oversight. He fought to rewrite the law so that both the Financial Secretary and the Finance Minister would have to approve any such moves.
Bishop John Cline underscored the difficulty this creates for Wheatley's defence. "Something is not adding up," Cline said, noting that if the law now demands ministerial approval, the Premier's claim of ignorance becomes harder to sustain.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.