Fraud no excuse for rental assistance delay

Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) deputy political leader Farley Augustine is urging the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development to contact the police if there is evidence of fraud in the Government’s rental assistance programme.

The rental aid covers up to $2,500 per month for up to three months.

Addressing a virtual news conference on Thursday at the Minority’s office in Scarborough, Augustine said there is no reason why instances of fraud should hinder Tobagonians who have applied for the grant.

“If you have found fraud, call the police. Let the police deal with those who are fraudulent,” he stressed.

“But, there is no reason why some of the people who applied couldn’t get their grant funding at this point.”

Augustine noted many Tobagonians, who were either sent home temporarily or terminated as a result of the covid19 pandemic, have been without a salary for more than a month.

“It is ridiculous that after applying more than a month ago, you will come more than a month later to say we are halting the process. 'We can’t give you anything now because we found some fraud.' So, what the hell were you all doing all this time.”

At the weekly news conference hosted by the division, on May 18, new Assistant Secretary Nadine Stewart-Phillips revealed some 2,000 Tobagonians had applied for rental assistance through the Ministry of Social Development.

However, she said the issuing of the grants has been derailed by fraudulent activities.

She said a rigorous verification process is now being carried out to determine the authenticity of the information submitted by applicants.

Augustine said that exercise should not halt the process.

“If your programme was designed to detect fraud, then you should be happy that you detected fraud and that should not stop the programme.”

He asked: “How is it that folks in Trinidad got grants but nobody in Tobago could get? Is it that everybody in Tobago was trying to scam the Government? Is that what they are trying to say to us?

“If you find elements of fraud, deal with the elements of fraud and let the other people who need the grants get their grants.”

Augustine said the workers at Blue Waters Inn and other guesthouses did not commit fraud.

“They (employers) gave them letters indicating they were being retrenched because of covid19. They followed the (instruction) to the letter and signed those forms. So, why are they being penalised?”

Augustine also questioned why Tobagonians were being asked to use a separate e-mail from Trinidadians to apply for the rental grant.

He said the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) should have been in charge of screening applicants.

“One would think that all of the Tobago applications can be found in one place.

“If that is the case, why wasn’t the THA charged with the responsibility of screening those applications, in the first place, for the ministry in Trinidad.

“It would appear that the THA just sat back on its hands, doing nothing. The THA was taking applications from people through the Division of Health, scanning them and sending them to this e-mail, rocking back and waiting on Trinidad to screen them and more than a month later somebody going to come and tell us, ‘Hey, we find some fraud so we can’t give out any money in Tobago yet.’”