MINISTER OF Industry, Commerce and Technology Phillip Paulwell's response to questions on the disbursement of funds by the Government to Information Technology (IT) investors in the House of Representatives yesterday did not sit well with the Opposition.
Opposition spokesman on finance, Audley Shaw, told The Gleaner after the sitting the JLP would take the matter to the Prime Minister and, if it was dissatisfied with his response, would bring a motion to Parliament to censure Mr. Paulwell for misleading the House.
Mr. Shaw said Mr. Paulwell misled the House on the issue because he had said in January a $64 million loan to Jamaica Call Centre Limited (JCCL), one of the investors, had been repaid. Mr. Paulwell told the House yesterday JCCL's repayment cheque was still with the National Investment Bank of Jamaica (NIBJ).
"The loan cannot be repaid until the cheque is cashed! How do we know there are enough funds to meet the payment? We are going to demand an explanation from the Prime Minister under whose portfolio the NIBJ falls and if it is still not properly explained, we will be moving a motion to censure Mr. Paulwell for misleading the House," Mr. Shaw said.
Responding to questions on the issue raised by Mr. Shaw on Tuesday in his Budget speech, Mr. Paulwell told the House yesterday, "The loan is to be repaid by Jamaica Call Centre. The cheque was handed over to NIBJ. NIBJ still has the cheque because they are working now through the actual expenditures on equipment that are in the island and, in fact if you were to visit the Kingston Free Zone you will see work being done on the establishment of the work stations at the Kingston Free Zone."
He said as soon as the determination was completed in relation to the prices for equipment and work done, the NIBJ would be in a better position to indicate what funds were owed to JCCL, because all of the equipment would be owned by the Kingston Free Zone.
