UNC reports Namdevco to police, Integrity Commission over food boxes

COUVA North MP Ravi Ratiram has asked both the Commissioner of Police (CoP) Gary Griffith and the Integrity Commission to investigate a possible diversion of some food boxes/hampers meant for MPs to distribute to needy constituents.

He complained that a former PNM general election candidate publicly announced on Facebook that she had distributed Namdevco hampers.

The MP asked each entity to investigate whether an allocation of 100 food boxes to the candidate's charitable foundation had been a breach of the Integrity in Public Life Act, and asked Griffith to conduct a criminal investigation.

Recalling the firing of a British mayor for the offence of "treating," Ratiram called for new legislation to outlaw any such misuse of state resources.

In the first of two statements on Friday, Ratiram said he had written to the CoP and the Integrity Commission to ask for an investigation into the conduct of Namdevco and anyone else involved.

"At a media briefing on Wednesday," he said, "my parliamentary colleague MP Saddam Hosein, His Worship the Mayor of Chaguanas Faaiq Mohammed and myself contemporaneously highlighted irrefutable and damning evidence in support of allegations of serious corruption, nepotism and favouritism at Namdevco, a state agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, regarding the Government’s ongoing food basket hamper distribution programme."

In a second statement, Ratiram said on May 3 the Prime Minister had publicly promised each MP 600 hampers of fruits, vegetables and chicken to give to constituents, after which Namdevco asked each MP to identify 600 beneficiaries. On May 10 Finance Minister Colm Imbert announced the Government would fund 25,000 food boxes per month for three months, costing $30 million.

"However, just hours after that announcement, our MPs received an e-mail sent at 5.53 pm on 10 May that the package volumes would be reduced by 200, from 600 to 400.

"No public announcement was made about this cutback. To the contrary, on the next day, 11 May, Colm Imbert on Twitter repeated that the Government would be delivering 25,000 hampers for covid relief, a clear untruth.

"In the meanwhile, the MPs, who had already submitted the names of the 600 eligible families to Namdevco had the regrettable task to now inform 200 families that they would not be receiving the promised covid relief, even while the Minister of Finance publicly boasted otherwise."

Ratiram said while Namdevco had denied Mohammed's request for the Chaguanas Borough Corporation to get food hampers, saying they were only for MPs to distribute, 100 hampers were seen to have been given to a failed PNM candidate.

"It may seem a complete lie that the reduction in the number of hampers for MP offices is as a result of a shortfall in supply by the farmers, but rather to give to PNM party groups.

"We need an investigation into Namdevco and political bias in the use of taxpayers’ money. It is an abuse of process and further demonstration of discrimination in the use of funding."

He also called on Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Clrence Rambharat to investigate "this alleged malfeasance and to provide full disclosure as to how and why this happened."

Ratiram's letters to the CoP and Integrity Commission gave a timeline of events.

On May 3 the PM announced 600 hampers.

On May 6 Mohammed requested hampers, with Namdevco rejecting this request on May 7.

On May 10 Namdevco told MPs their allocation would be only 400 hampers.

On May 17 the former PNM candidate announced on Facebook her distribution of 100 hampers, later deleting it and re-posting on another Facebook page belonging to her foundation.

Ratiram's letters quoted the Integrity in Public Life Act, which says someone in public life must be "fair and impartial," "afford no undue preferential treatment to any group or individual" and not use his/her position "to advance the interest of any person."

In his letter to the Integrity Commission, Ratiram highlighted its crucial watchdog role, adding, "It is submitted that the breaches complained of warrant the commission’s prompt consideration for investigation in accordance with the Integrity in Public Life Act."

In his letter to the CoP, he asked whether other non-MPs had been beneficiaries of hampers, adding, "As such, I bring these matters to your attention for an urgent criminal investigation."