Georgetown : During consideration of the 2015 budget estimates, it was revealed that in the 2014 budget, $23 million was allocated by the PPP government to purchase a high-end Land Cruiser for then Prime Minister Samuel Hinds but, he never got the vehicle.
The disclosure was made by First Vice President and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, during the examination of the 2015 estimates.
It was disclosed that the $23 million was spent by former Finance Minister Ashni Singh on a Land Cruiser and other vehicles and that the Office of the Prime Minister was used merely as a “parking lot for the multi-million money-bag”.
It was explained that the $23 million was transferred to the Ministry of Finance and used to buy “one of several elite vehicles that were at the disposal of Minister Singh and not the then Prime Minister”.
From the sum of $23 million, $18.2 million was used by the Ministry of Finance to acquire a new Toyota Land Cruiser and the balance spent on purchasing a Toyota Corolla car and a Toyota Surf. The three vehicles, which were never handed over to the Office of the Prime Minister have since been recovered.
Because the vehicles were never added to the fleet for the Office of the Prime Minister, an allocation of $22 million is now being sought to buy a four-wheel drive Sports Utility Vehicle for Prime Minister Nagamootoo. This vehicle would be used for travelling to rural and Hinterland areas.
It was revealed to the House that, between 2012 and 2014, some $50 million was voted by the PPP regime to buy vehicles for the Office of the Prime Minister but when it demitted office, only eight old, reconditioned vehicles were recovered.
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