More discrepancies in scholarship

There appears to be more discrepancies in the list of names of people who are reported to have got scholarships from the Trinidad and Tobago government through the culture ministry.

The Trinidad Express is reporting Friday that people whose names are on the list are claiming that they never got any monetary awards from the state. On Thursday the paper reported that was the case of a school teacher.

Read the story: New questions about scholarship list: Panday wants probe

Now the paper is saying that three lawyers, whose names appear on the list, never got the money and are demanding that their names be removed from the document that was made available from the culture ministry after an intervention by the courts.

The lawyers want to know what happened to the more than $100,000 allegedly given to them for their education.

The paper names the three as:

• Criminal defence attorney Petronilla Basdeo
• Nairob Smart, who works in the Office of the Attorney General
• Sandra Elcock, corporate lawyer at Petrotrin

The paper said since the list became public, several other people have reported that although they applied for the scholarships they never got any money and their names should not be on any list of recipients.

The Express also reported that attorney Glenford George and Sanya Alleyne, who were also identified as having received financial assistance from the ministry, both said they never got the funds. Many others are saying the same thing.

The controversial document emerged after the Indo-Trinbago Equality Council (ITEC)went to court, using the freedom of information act. ITEC sought the list after Minister of Culture Marlene McDonald refused to answer opposition questions about the awards.

She told Parliament disclosing such information amounted to a violation of privacy under the provisions of the same act that allowed ITEC to get the list.

Basdeo told the paper she applied for a state grant when she was attending Eugene Dupuch Law School in Nassau, Bahamas, in 2005.

Basdeo's story raises questions about what really happened to the funds.

According to the Express report, she and other applicants were interviewed and later advised that they would get grants of US$7,000. But what happened next leaves answered questions.

According to the paper Basdeo said the cheques were sent to the school but they were returned to the ministry because there was a discrepancy.

She alleged that the cheques were never corrected and returned to the school.
"We never saw the money and never saw the cheque. We want to know why our names are on the list," the paper quoted her as saying.

Reporters have been trying to get information and had hoped to hear from the minister about it following Thursday's cabinet meeting. What they got was a statement from Works and Transport Minister, Colm Imbert.

"The Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs has been mandated to make a statement in Parliament tomorrow (Friday) on this matter. So I suggest you hold your fire, have a little patience until tomorrow, okay," Imbert said.