PM: Chinese loan not yet used to pay for Sinopharm vaccine

THE Prime Minister has said no part of this country's US$204 million loan from China has been used to buy covid19 vaccines thus far.

He was responding to questions in Parliament on Wednesday morning.

Last week, Finance Minister Colm Imbert was reported as saying the Government had paid for 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, which should arrive a couple of weeks from that date. He did not give the cost.

In May Imbert said TT was to borrow the US$204 million, with the promise that a percentage would be used to buy “Chinese elements” – goods and services from China.

Oropouche West MP Davendranath Tancoo asked Dr Rowley what percentage of the loan had been used for procuring the Sinopharm vaccine.

To date, this country has received 300,000 doses of that vaccine, with 100,000 being a gift from the Chinese government.

Rowley said, "All the Sinopharm vaccines procured by the government of Trinidad and Tobago have been paid for using general revenues from the Consolidated Fund.

"The proposed loan from the China Development Bank may be used for future purchases of the Sinopharm vaccine, depending on the timing of such purchases."

He said he wanted to ensure Tancoo does not "confuse the public" and added, "We got the first set of vaccines before the loan finalisation was done, so we paid for it from our Consolidated Fund and we continue to so do.

"The minister (Imbert) was very clear. He pointed out it was never a condition of the loan to buy vaccines (but) that a certain small percentage (was) to be used on Chinese products of whatever TT chooses. So if we don’t spend it on vaccine purchase, we can spend it on something else.

"So don’t mislead the public."

Tancoo asked how much money from the Consolidated Fund has been spent thus far on vaccines. Rowley said, "If the appropriate notice is given, I'd be able to give you the exact figure down to the last cent."