Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris (left) and Dr. Denzil Douglas (right)
Former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas responded on Freedom Fm’s Issues to several charges made by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts – Nevis Dr. Timothy Harris that the SIDF was used a s a slush fund and as an alternate government.
Dr. Harris indicated during his press conference on Tuesday that the former administration of which he was a part for 18 of 20 years had spent the SIDF funds recklessly.
He said the SIDF originally was primarily for sugar workers and to encourage economic diversification. Harris said there were no forensic audits of SIDF since 2011 and that the SIDF had become the private de facto property of the former Prime Minister Denzil Douglas.
Prime Minister Harris claimed that from a position of 1.47 billions of dollars, the SIDF funds now had been reduced to a paltry 200 million dollars available. Harris pointed out that there was no money in SIDF as it had commitments totaling 1.26 million and 75 million, which included resources for the PEP program.
But on Issues Dr. Douglas confirmed that the SIDF is a foundation with its own Board and councilors and indicated that audited accounts were done to 2011, but that accounts for 2012 and 2013 were also audited and should have been published. Douglas said that it was wrong for Prime Minister Harris to make false and inaccurate statements to the world, as this would stop investments into the SIDF.
Douglas said his hands were clean and it was absolute rubbish to claim the SIDF funds were used as a slush fund by the Labour party.
Prime Minister Harris went on to outline how former Ambassador to the United Nations Delano Bart Q.C, received huge sums of money from the SIDF while doing diplomatic duties. Harris claimed that in 2014, Bart received over 2.6 million as Prime Minister Harris went through invoices submitted by Bart during his press conference at Government Headquarters on Tuesday.
However, the SKNLP leader dared the incumbent Unity Prime Minister Harris to also go through and analyze invoices received by the SIDF for other lawyers in St. Kitts – Nevis.
Douglas said it was wrong and hypocritical for Prime Minister Harris to mislead the public over the use of SIDF funds.