APNU+AFC spends over $92M on Law Reform Commission …no work done

Aug 23, 2020 News

The building rented on Robb Street to house the LRC

The Coalition Government had expended over $92M to pay secretarial staff, rent a building on Robb Street, and pay for other facilities for a Law Reform Commission (LRC) which remains inoperable years later.
Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, made the disclosure during a press conference yesterday.
Nandlall noted that project has received funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) but had not been performing in accordance with the schedule of work and as a consequence was placed under review by the IDB.
According to Nandlall, given the non-performance of the LRC, the IDB has indicated the willingness to pull the plug on the project.
The AG noted that “since 2016, the bill was passed and the LRC was established. In 2017 it was staffed with 11 persons earning over $2.1 M per month doing nothing. The government had rented a building from 2017 to now… from my calculations amounts to over $92M but no commissioners have been appointed nor no work done.”
In the meantime, the AG said they will be moving swiftly to appoint commissioners for the LRC and get the project off the ground.
The LRC is a statutory body mandated by the Law Reform Act of 2016.
According to the law, the LRC shall consist of three to seven members including a Chairperson, who is appointed by the President, following consultation with the Minister of Legal Affairs.
The appointment of the members is vital to the function of the Commission which is mandated to review, simplify, modify and systematically develop the law. Nandlall had previously criticized the spending on the LRC project.
In 2017, he revealed that the Ministry of Legal Affairs rented the 2nd and 3rd flats (not the 1st flat, which is normally the high rent yielding flat) of a building located at 59 Robb Street, Bourda, for over $1M per month.
Former Attorney General, Basil Williams, had disclosed too, that the agreement was signed between the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Michael and Michelle Wharton.
The rental was from December 1, 2017 to November 30, 2018. He revealed that staff hired included a Legal Officer, with a salary of $700,000; two Legal Clerks, $150,000 each; three typists at $130,000 each; two office assistants, $100,000 each; a cleaner, $75,000 and one driver, $120,000.
As part of the agreement, the government has to pay its own electricity while the landlord pays the water. Additionally, the agreement stipulates a security deposit of $1.7M.
Government also agreed to pay the first two months of the tenancy before occupation of the building.
According to Williams, the Commission was in its final stages of readiness. He outlined that persons have been interviewed for the position of Commissioners while staff have been hired.
=

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News