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St. Ann Municipal Corporation Office of the Contractor General November 2017
evidence provided by Ms. Hanna as it relates to the reliance which was placed by her, on Ms.
Smith, to determine the appropriateness of recommending Ms. Nicolette Keene, a current
employee of the Office of the Member of Parliament, speaks volumes to the degree to which such
reliance had been vested and the free hand which was afforded to Ms. Andrea Smith. Irrespective
of any role played by Ms. Andrea Smith, in this regard, the CDF Consultant does not, without
permission, act autonomously or unilaterally in regard to the administration of the Fund.
In point of fact, the CDF was established to provide Members of Parliament with financial
resources to execute approved social and economic programmes within their constituencies.
Further, a review of Ms. Andrea Smith’s employment contracts does not indicate the level of
autonomy and responsibility that had been accorded to her by the Member of Parliament, Ms.
Lisa Hanna. In this regard, the OCG is of the considered opinion that the funds which are
provided under the CDF are allocated to the Member of Parliament for the constituency for which
the Member of Parliament is elected. The responsibility and remit of administering the CDF, is
therefore not one which may be divested to a third party.
4.
Ms. Andrea Smith failed to execute her responsibilities in the administration of CDF projects, for
and on behalf of the South East St. Ann Constituency in a professional and lawful manner.
5.
The CDF Programme Management Unit, OPM, facilitated and authorized the corruption enabling
facility, known as ‘group payments’.
6.
Having regard to the contract which was entered into on December 6, 2013, between Mr. Blyden
Brown and the St. Ann Municipal Corporation, which bore no signature attesting to the works
being “
GIVEN OUT
” or “
SATISFACTORILY DONE
”, there is no reasonable basis to conclude that
the works had been completed. The OCG, in this regard, accepts the testimony of Mr. Blyden
Brown, when he stated that he had done “no work” in respect of the contract which was signed by