- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 13:24

Imbert rejects Padarath’s $1.3m claims

FORMER public utilities minister Colm Imbert has rejected allegations by Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath that $1.3 million was spent to refurbish an office when Imbert was moved from the finance ministry to the utilities ministry in the short-lived Stuart Young-led administration. Imbert, the Diego Martin North/East MP, rejected Padarath’s claims during a brief contribution to debate on the Finance (Supplementary Appropriation) (Financial Year 2025) Bill, 2025 in the House of Representatives, during a marathon sitting on June 23. Padarath made his allegations as he contributed to debate on a motion to approve a report of the House’s Standing Finance Committee for a $3.1 billion supplementation to the 2024/2025 budget. In opening debate on the bill, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo said the previous debate on the motion covered all areas mentioned in the bill. “I stand by every comment made by members on this side during our contribution and by my own comments in the introduction and in the wind up (on the motion).” Imbert was the only opposition MP to respond to Tancoo. He noted Tancoo “stands by everything he has said and what his colleagues have said.” Imbert then said Padarath “is a stranger to the truth.” He described Padarath’s claim that $1.3 million was spent to refurbish the Public Utilities Ministry’s office in St Clair as Padarath engaging in “a long song and dance...screaming at the top of his voice.” Imbert said while Padarath was speaking, “I got the record with respect to the expense that the minister spoke about that he now has to pay for in terms of refurbishment works at the Ministry of Public Utilities.” He added that the real expenditure was $160,000. Mayaro MP Nicholas Morris objected to Imbert’s statement, claiming this was a new debate and Imbert “cannot respond to those issues (raised by Padarath in a previous debate).” Speaker Jagdeo Singh advised Imbert that the matter he (Imbert) was referring to happened in a previous debate and could not be mentioned in the current debate. Imbert told Singh that Tancoo had opened the new debate by saying he (Tancoo) “stood by everything said by his colleagues and himself in the previous debate.” As such, Imbert added, he was responding to what Tancoo said. Opposition MPs thumped their desks as Imbert added, “That is what he said. He said he stood by it.” The House next sits on June 27 at 1.30 pm to debate the Prime Minister’s Pension Amendment Bill 2025. The post Imbert rejects Padarath’s $1.3m claims appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.