Opposition senator demands inquiry into Housing Ministry over minister’s ‘contradictory’ statements

Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn has called for a public inquiry to look into the operations of the Ministry of Housing, run by Minister of Housing Dr William Duguid.

In Wednesday’s debate on the Prevention of Corruption Bill in the Senate, Senator Franklyn declared that new “contradictory” information has come to light, with a need in his view for an inquiry.

He claimed that while settling an industrial relations matter for a client recently, information came to light during negotiations that ran contradictory to comments made by the Minister of Housing in relation to select projects currently being undertaken by the ministry.

“I would like there to be a commission of inquiry into the operations of the National Housing Corporation and the Ministry of Housing because some of the statements that I am hearing coming out from the minister [Dr William Duguid] and the ministry do not square with my knowledge,” he told the Senate.

But the Opposition Senator remained mum on the specific details while insisting on a judicial review of the housing ministry.

Senator Franklyn said: “The information that was given to me to settle that dispute does not accord to what the minister says, because of the information that I got I can say to you that someone has misled the minister. We need an investigation, and I mean a judicial inquiry, not a departmental inquiry because they don’t go anywhere, into the operations of the National Housing Corporation.”

Referring to the scandal involving businessman Mark Maloney, director of Radical Investments, who was allegedly scammed out of millions of dollars after he tried to procure COVID-19 vaccines on Government’s behalf, Senator Franklyn once again reiterated calls for more open scrutiny of government contracts and persons acting on behalf of the State.

He was backed in this call by Independent Senator Kevin Boyce, who called for the post of Contractor General to be established within the civil service, who would work in tandem with the Auditor General to review all government contracts.

Senator Boyce said: “The question is, do we go further and consider in Barbados, the utilization of a Contractor General. We recognize the award of contracts has become a repeated mark of contention, and the reference to having a contractor general would be to provide assistance to the auditor general who comes in on the back end.

“Having a contractor general provides a first guard, and the auditor general then sweeps, this would also provide protection for potential abuse of any tender process, and provide the checks and balances which I know is craved by this government and all of us inside here.” (SB)