Rowley says government minister used official credit card for personal use

Opposition Leader Keith Rowley told Parliament Friday a member of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's Cabinet has been misusing a Government credit card. He said the credit card was assigned to the Minister of Tobago Development.

He read from statements showing that the card was used for dinner at Movie Towne. In addition, he said the minister made several cash withdrawals.

"Independence Square, cash withdrawal $3,500. Main Street, Tobago, cash withdrawal. San Fernando, cash withdrawal, and a series of others," Rowley told legislators.

However, Leader of Government Business Roodal Moonilal responded that all money used by the minister has been repaid.

He wondered whether the issue of $4,000 is enough for a no confidence vote. "I want to say on the record as of this moment, I want to assure you that that credit card has been paid off and not one cent of taxpayers' money has been misused," Moonilal said.

He also pointed out that at least one former PNM minister had misused tens of thousands of dollars on her government-issued credit card and Rowley recently appointed her as a temporary senator.

In 2007, Ganga Singh, who was an opposition member at the time, raised the issue of the credit card abuse in Parliament, noting the expenditure by former Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis.

Camille Robinson-Regis

Among expenses charged to the card were:

• A number of transactions of US$1,000 each conducted at the American Fertility Clinic in New York in June, 2006 
• Purchase of jewelry at Christies Sothers (New York) for US$6,420 on June 1, 2006
• Purchase of clothing at Max’s Better Dresses (New York) for US$259 on June 9, 2006
• Purchase of items at Bitz N Pieces (New York) for US$607.81 on June 9, 2006 Purchase of items at Lighthouse Lighting Corp (New York) for US$3,118.99 on June 13, 2006 

Singh produced documents from a report of the Comptroller of Accounts to support his charge.

He said the Comptroller’s report showed contraventions of the Government’s individual (Visa Gold) travel card by 29 senior officials, including Robinson-Regis and seven other ministers.

Singh said according to the report of the Comptroller of Accounts, Robinson-Regis had a credit card overdraft of $174,000. The report stated that Robinson-Regis incurred an expense of $10,951 in April, which was described as “private use,” another in May for the same purpose, in the sum of $26,352.56, and the biggest in June of $176,453.59.

Robinson-Regis subsequently denied that she had made improper use of the travel card. She said the two large amounts were cash advances that were to put the card in credit to pay for medical expenses overseas.