THA secretary denies $2.4m missing from 2022 October carnival budget

THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris has called on Minority Leader Kelvon Morris to check his numbers again, after he called for an investigation into "irregularities" in Tobago's first October carnival.

Morris was in Port of Spain on Monday where he said he delivered a letter to the auditor general's department requesting an investigation into the Tobago Festivals Commission and other affiliated agencies of the Division of Tourism.

At a press conference last week, Morris raised concerns about the money spent to host the 2022 carnival.

In a Facebook live on Monday, Morris said the carnival was initially estimated at $17 million and later, he recalled Burris saying that about $12.5 million was actually spent. He said a media report later quoted a THA official as saying approximately $9.2 million was spent and that money was split between the Tobago Festivals Commission and the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd (TTAL).

Morris noted that the PNM filed a question in the assembly and received detailed, itemised listings of all of the suppliers of services who were paid. He said according to the PNM’s calculations, there are some inconsistencies.

"Based on all the budgeted spend...that amounted to something around $6.8 million. When you do the cumulative difference, it is a missing gap of $2.4 million that has been unaccounted for."

He said there have been complaints from artistes and performers about late payments.

He said a full audit is needed for accountability and transparency.

However, at a media conference at the division on Monday, Burris said she was uncertain where Morris got his math from, as all the information was submitted via written response to the House.

“I would never say that the public servants who are responsible for preparing those statements would falsify those documents. So even though the secretary is asked the question, public servants are the ones responsible for spending the monies and are the ones who are responsible for preparing the response. So if he is the one saying that the public servants are lying about what was done with government funds, well then I think that that is a deeper conversation that needs to be had.”

She said there is no reason for a secretary to doctor any figures.

“So maybe the minority needs to just go back and check his math again, and certainly that is information that can be made (available) again to him.

"If he so wishes, he can apply for an FOIA (Freedom of Information Act request), but I have confidence that the public servants who are responsible for spending government’s funds did so in accordance with all that they have to follow, and that any documentation that they submit for public record is a true and accurate account of what was spent.”