Imbert: No 'Lifesport' under PNM

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has said a sporting initiative that the government is being asked to consider as an anti-crime strategy bears no similarities to the Lifesport scandal which happened under the former UNC-led People's Partnership (PP) coalition government.

He made this comment in response to questions from opposition MPs during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives.

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh asked about a $15 million allocation under the Finance Ministry for an initiative called Sport against Violent Energy States.

Imbert said, "This is in the formation stage at this point in time."

Right now, he said, there is no final settlement of the arrangements.

"It is something proposed by one of our sporting icons (former West Indies cricketer), Brian Lara, and also by the Heroes Foundation.

"They have made a proposal to go into at-risk communities and put on sporting competitions to try and get youth involved in healthy activity. It is not fleshed out yet. So it is merely a provision at this time."

Indarsingh asked, "It is something along the line of Lifesport?"

Imbert said, "Not at all. Quite the opposite. It could not be further away from it. It does not involve $32 million and persons whose services were never received."

Lifesport began in 2012 under the PP as an initiative to engage at risk youth along the East-West Corridor in sporting activities. The programme was the brainchild of sports minister (now Opposition Senator) Anil Roberts.

On July 25, 2014, the prime minister (now Opposition Leader) Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced the termination of Lifesport in Parliament.

She said a Finance Ministry audit team had found procurement breaches, a deviation from the mandates of Cabinet, involvement in criminal activities, fraud by suppliers, theft of equipment, breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act, and poor control and monitoring by the Sport Ministry.

Roberts subsequently resigned from the Cabinet and as D’Abadie/O’Meara MP on July 31, 2014.

Then national security minister (now National Transformation Alliance leader) Gary Griffith said he was the person who alerted his cabinet colleagues to allegations of impropriety in the programme, which led to the government-ordered audit.

Griffith said then that based on his investigations at the time, Roberts had done no wrong.

Imbert hoped this initiative would be implemented in 2025.

"No contract has been awarded, no commitment has been given. But we put a provision in because it appears to be a very valuable and useful exercise."

Indarsingh asked if this initiative would be directed by the Finance Ministry.

Imbert said his ministry only has the allocation for funding this initiative, but another government entity would be responsible for implementing it.

He added there were already similar arrangements with respect to grants for farmers and leases for housing and agricultural lands for former Caroni (1975) Ltd workers.

Imbert said the former is managed by the Agriculture Ministry and the Estate Management and Business Development Company handles the latter.

In response to questions from Mayaro MP Rushton Paray, Imbert said four mobile scanners to increase security at the ports of Port of Spain and Point Lisas will arrive in the next two months. Two will arrive this month and the other two in November.

Imbert said these scanners will be based at Port of Spain and Point Lisas.

He added the ministry has allocations to buy two pallet scanners and two van scanners.

Imbert said these scanners, which can be more easily deployed than the ones assigned to Port of Spain and Point Lisas, will be used to increase security at smaller ports.

He added that allocations have been made for the maintenance of all these scanners.

Imbert said he was satisfied with expenditure for security services at the ministry and several of its external offices, such as the Inland Revenue Division Tower in Port of Spain and district revenue offices in different parts of the country.

He repeated his thanks to security officers who thwarted a recent attempt by an individual to flood several floors at the Finance Ministry tower at the Eric Williams Financial Complex.

Imbert was also thankful to Paris-based financial services company Lazard for consultancy services to the ministry.

He said Lazard's work played an important role in government's receiving positive feedback from international ratings agencies and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its annual Article IV consultations.

Imbert also said the ministry spent approximately $1 million on consultancy services to work out the logistics of implementing the collection of residential property tax.

He reminded opposition MPs that contrary to their party's public claims, the PP did not repeal the Property Tax Act between 2010 and 2015.

The committee approved budgetary allocations of $7,359,935,650, $2,500,000 and $32,662,500 to the Finance Ministry, pensions and gratuities and the Auditor General's department.

The committee is scheduled to meet on October 15, 16 and 17 to continue deliberating on the budget.

At the end of this exercise, the House will vote on the budget.

Newsday was informed the Senate will begin its budget debate on October 21.