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Transport Ministry tries to clarify spending on minister's home
Senior officials of the Ministry of Transport and Works on Wednesday afternoon moved decisively to quash growing unease about what has been described as extravagant spending to refurbish the upscale residence assigned to Mike Henry.
Controversy has been swirling since early July when reports surfaced that the residence in the posh Millsborough Crescent community in upper St. Andrew was bought and repaired at a price tag of $67 million.
However Permanent Secretary Dr. Alwin Hayles said the actual bill to purchase and repair the house is $49 million derived from a pension fund.
Biting public backlash that the minister's house at 5 Millsborough Crescent was purchased and repaired for almost $70 million have pushed the Ministry of Transport and Works on the offensive.
It moved on Wednesday to clarify what it called inaccurate reports fermenting in the public domain.
Dr. Alwyn Hayles said the property which was previously owned by the now defunct Jamaica Omnibus Service was purchased and repaired by the Port Authority of Jamaica at a price below the amount that has been circulating.
"The total expenditure to date, or the total money spent by the Port Authority is actually $14.46 million and not $60 million as is being bandied about and even when we combine the proposed purchase price o9f $35 million, the total would amount to $49.46 million which is still considerably less than the $65 million," Dr. Hayles said.
But the Permanent Secretary's claim that the transaction involves the transfer of a state-owned property from one government agency to another was challenged after it was revealed that the monies used to purchase the Millsborough property were in fact drawn from a dedicated pension fund for workers at the Port Authority.
Dr. Hayles was not prepared to divulge greater details on questions of investments on equity for the pension fund.
"The Port Authority has proposed to the board that the proceeds of this investment is to the benefit of the pension fund. That proposal is with the board and it will be implemented,
"In terms of what has transpired up to now, I am not sure we are ready to give you a lot of details since it is something that the Port Authority has determined which is a board matter," Dr. Hayles said.
Minister Henry who was also at the press conference mumbled that the matter is in the hands of his attorneys.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/21248/26/
Senior officials of the Ministry of Transport and Works on Wednesday afternoon moved decisively to quash growing unease about what has been described as extravagant spending to refurbish the upscale residence assigned to Mike Henry.
Controversy has been swirling since early July when reports surfaced that the residence in the posh Millsborough Crescent community in upper St. Andrew was bought and repaired at a price tag of $67 million.
However Permanent Secretary Dr. Alwin Hayles said the actual bill to purchase and repair the house is $49 million derived from a pension fund.
Biting public backlash that the minister's house at 5 Millsborough Crescent was purchased and repaired for almost $70 million have pushed the Ministry of Transport and Works on the offensive.
It moved on Wednesday to clarify what it called inaccurate reports fermenting in the public domain.
Dr. Alwyn Hayles said the property which was previously owned by the now defunct Jamaica Omnibus Service was purchased and repaired by the Port Authority of Jamaica at a price below the amount that has been circulating.
"The total expenditure to date, or the total money spent by the Port Authority is actually $14.46 million and not $60 million as is being bandied about and even when we combine the proposed purchase price o9f $35 million, the total would amount to $49.46 million which is still considerably less than the $65 million," Dr. Hayles said.
But the Permanent Secretary's claim that the transaction involves the transfer of a state-owned property from one government agency to another was challenged after it was revealed that the monies used to purchase the Millsborough property were in fact drawn from a dedicated pension fund for workers at the Port Authority.
Dr. Hayles was not prepared to divulge greater details on questions of investments on equity for the pension fund.
"The Port Authority has proposed to the board that the proceeds of this investment is to the benefit of the pension fund. That proposal is with the board and it will be implemented,
"In terms of what has transpired up to now, I am not sure we are ready to give you a lot of details since it is something that the Port Authority has determined which is a board matter," Dr. Hayles said.
Minister Henry who was also at the press conference mumbled that the matter is in the hands of his attorneys.
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/21248/26/
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