Answers sought over 'stolen' NIB funds

Thu, Nov 21st 2013, 11:26 AM

Long Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday questioned why the National Insurance Board (NIB) did not press charges against employees over the alleged misappropriation of $45,000.
Speaking in the House of Assembly, Butler-Turner said an employee resigned over the allegations and another was fired, but said authorities should go a step further and take legal action.
Butler-Turner also asked if NIB has a contract with the Source River Group, headed by former Cabinet minister Tennyson Wells, to store its documents.
She said the facility, located at the old Bacardi plant, is the place where National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson recently held a private party which she said raises concerns.
Butler-Turner called on the government to reveal if NIB has a contract with Source River for document storage and also if the agency is funding the refurbishment of the facility.
On the issue of the alleged theft, she said: "A few weeks ago I was following a lead on some monies that were misappropriated and stolen at National Insurance.
"And I had reason to be concerned enough as the shadow minister for National Insurance to actually speak with the chairman of the board and to also speak with the director.
"I must say that while the chairman did not know, the director claims she did not know either. To this day, Mr. Speaker, one NIB staffer has resigned and the other person, who was on contract, has been fired.
"I am reliably informed, it's some $45,000 or more [that] was used of National Insurance money."
Butler-Turner also questioned if NIB employees stole other items from the agency.
"I understand that from time to time National Insurance brings in trailers of supplies for builders and various contractors who are doing work for National Insurance and then that money that is paid by NIB is then deducted from their contract.
"We want to know if one of those trailers with building materials has in fact gone missing and if it has gone missing, when does he [National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson] intend to make that known to the public because, Mr. Speaker, the National Insurance Fund is not a slush fund.
"It's a fund where we place our monies for retirement and for other benefits such as sickness."
Gibson was not present in the House to respond to the claims.
However, Yamacraw MP Melanie Griffin said the alleged theft of NIB's money has been dealt with. She also called on Butler-Turner to withdraw her comments about the trailer unless she could prove the claim.
"On the first matter, the matter was all in the press ...The procedures work; what we're saying is that the steps that have been put in place to deal with such matters work and so the matter was dealt with already," Griffin said.
However, Speaker of the House Dr. Kendal Major said Butler-Turner had a right to raise questions about NIB and did not have to withdraw her statements.
Butler-Turner suggested that it was ironic that parliamentarians were debating crime bills but not prosecuting those suspected of stealing from the government.
"To state that stolen monies were dealt with in the press, the point I'm trying to make is that matter did not go to court," she said. "I do not think that it is sufficient that somebody should just be fired or that somebody should just resign."

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