Scholarship list could be criminal matter: Ramlogan

The attorney who went to court to get the controversial listy of scholarships awarded by the ministry of culture is demanding an account from the prime minister.

Anand Ramlogan said Thursday Patrick Manning has an obligation to say what he knows of the $46 million in scholarships given by the ministry between 2003 and 2007, noting that the money could not have been paid without approval from the cabinet.

"As prime minister and head of the Cabinet, Manning should come clean and tell us whether or not he knew of the secret scholarships, what was the process or whether there was a process. This could not have gone on without his knowledge or approval, so it is not whether or not he should get involved because he is already involved," Ramlogan told the Trinidad Express.

The person who was the minister at the time is Joan Yuille-Williams, a close ally of the prime minister who is now a Special Envoy to Government.

Ramlogan suggested that with all that has happened this is now looking like a criminal matter since several people have stated that while their names are on the list they never got the money and no money was paid to educational institutions on their behalf.

Ramlogan said there was no transparency in the awards since the general public knew nothing about the grants.

"This raises serious questions because it seems the money was disbursed as though it was taken from a personal piggy bank and not the Government treasury," Ramlogan told the paper.

He urged the prime minister to refer the matter to the Integrity Commission for further investigation.

He said there is precedence from Manning who "boasted of referring the Dhansam Dansook matter to the Integrity Commission when former ministers Franklin Khan and Eric Williams were removed from office or the way he handled the matter with Dr Keith Rowley."

The Express said it asked Eudine Job-Davis, who was a minister in the Ministry of Culture when Yuille-Williams was the minister, about the matter. She distanced herself from the matter.

"I was not involved. The minister in charge of the ministry had sole responsibility,’ Job-Davis was quoted as telling the paper.