There’s just over EC$200.00 left in an airport development fund, which, two years ago, according to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, had almost 150 million dollars.
Skerrit made that disclosure in response to a question posed by the leader of the Opposition Lennox Linton last week during the First Session of the Tenth Parliament on Monday.
Linton asked the Prime Minister to provide the House with the schedule for disbursement payments, if any, from the airport development account since may 2017 and the balance on that account as at September 30th, 2020.
In response, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Roosevelt Skerrit, disclosed that on June 29th 2017, the government of Dominica established a fund at the National Bank of Dominica (NBD) to facilitate monthly deposits of US 5 million dollars or EC13 million from the Citizenship By Investment (CBI) revenues, to finance the construction of the international airport.
According to the prime minister, “With our monthly savings, the balance in that fund as of June 30th 2018 was EC 149 million, four hundred and twenty-nine thousand five hundred dollars. The balance in that fund as of September 30th 2020 was two hundred and thirty nine dollars and sixty nine cents.”
He said that the Government of Dominica subsequently received a pledge of support for the construction of the international airport from the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and therefore, proceeded to diversify the use of most of the funds to respond to national needs emanating from the destruction of Hurricane Maria.
“These included construction of homes and repairs of homes and as you know, Mr. Speaker, many people did not have insurance, and some were underinsured and received less than what they would have expected from the insurance companies and therefore, they all required government support,” Skerrit said.
He said additional funds were used for the restoration and rehabilitation of roads, river dredging and repairs to government buildings.
Support was also provided to several private sector businesses who were in dire need of financial assistance after the devastation of Hurricane Maria, .
The Prime Minister also revealed that monies from that fund were used to pay for the feasibility studies and initial design of the international airport which were conducted by a reputable United States firm as well as to pay the farmers for crop compensation and payment for some of the lands acquired to facilitate the construction of the international airport.
Recently, Skerrit announced that the Government had completed the necessary surveys and Cabinet had approved the acquisition of 213 properties required for the airport construction, of which 47 are farms.
“The total market value of these properties is estimated at 50.7 million dollars. Negotiations have been completed with 25 property owners. Geotechnical surveys were also expected to commence by September, 2020,” the Prime Minister stated.
We don’t care WHO builds the dmn thing, just tell us what’s in the deal or contact with the Chinese. Just tell us ‘what’ and for how long. We party supporters should ask!
So all of a sudden AFTER elections all these revelations coming to the surface. Why didn’t he say that before elections. He was busy bragging about he running things all the while siphoning funds away from government…giving free concerts here and having wild DLP parties there, buying airline tickets for DA voters everywhere. This man is getting away with this because he knows Dominicans are ignorant.
Linton needs to have a monthly accounting of revenue and disbursements. He needs to keep track of every dollar, every contract. He actually needs to tie Skerrit hands and ban him from the kitty. That man is dangerous. Bankrupting poor Dominica. Skerrit is the Donald Trump of Dominica… Had it not been for the imported votes, he’d have been in office and probably headed to jail.
Ha ha ha, those so-called Workers puppets scumbags such as Linton, and Co. is worried they won’t get any money from the millions it will cost to build the international airport if by some miracle they Linton, becomes Pm what a joke that will never be so-called Workers clowns will never again be governing body in Dominica go to hell 👹
This is a corrupt world. why. because all the rulers are corrupt. a soul who has integrity and an honest character CANNOT be a ruler in todays world..IMPOSSIBLE..
All that money went into cool-out. National needs? What about the millions that were given to the country for Maria relief efforts??
Wicked…
Your story does not make sense Roosevelt, and you know it. Just recently you contracted a 150 million dollar loan with the NBD at 4% interest. In my calculation that is costing us 6 million dollars a year in interest alone. If you had a windfall from a Chinese promise to take over the financing of the airport why did you not use to reduce that debt instead with the money you had in your airport account. You would still have plenty left to help the people. I think that savings in the airport account were fictitious just as your story.
For Dominica to grow….Sticky fingers Skerrit must go!!!!!!! No Ifs, Buts or Whats!!!!!
200? hahaha. Well my account have 250. I might end up building der air port before Labour party. Btw how much for them 50ft containers?
At this stage talk of air port is just a show, if we ever get it all we have to say is “About time”.
When Skerrit said he was saving $5,000,000 money for the construction of the international airport all the FREEZER BRAIN UWP said he was lying.Now,the same JACKA’S agree the money was there,and,Skerrit used it for something else.IBO for your information,the vast majority of people given houses were renting and paying utility bills.IBO SMART these people are no longer paying rent.Skerrit invented the NEP with 3,400 workers,8 yrs now.He created the YES WE CARE,250 workers.He brought CLEAR HARBOUR to Dominica,about 840 workers.According to the traffic police there are now 37,000 registered vehicles under Skerrit.There are about 3,000 students enrolled at DSC.Over 2,700 people 70yrs and over receiving $300.Parents are saving money because of SCHOOL BUS SERVICE.IBO,how are Dominicans POORER?Haitians are working,building houses,buying vehicles,taking care of their family,while lazy coonu like you and the other UWP,are drunk with your high level STUPIDITY.WE WILL BUILD THE AIRPORT.LAZY,BBF
You Foolish man!!!
Soh what about all the aid money that was received from foreign entities to rehabilitate the economy after the Hurricanes???
Where allyou head is nuh allyou not seeing what mistra doing man!!!
Mista selling allyou a cat in the bag every time and allyou buying it wi!!!
But then again what else nuh allyou expect allyou didn’t see the light from since long time Marn doh expect allyou to ever see any light anytime in the near future!!!
so here in lies our dilemma Lin Clown. Which lie should we trust? We have a leader who cannot be trusted. millions all over the place going from one pocket to the next with not much accountability.
You boast the NEP program. Yes people have a job, but why is there a need for the NEP program in the first place. If the economy was really doing well there would be jobs available and the government wouldnt have to be bleeding the treasury to support the staffing of the private sector. The private sector would be able to fully support itself. THAT IS COMMON SENSE. in my youth i could get a summer and christmas job every year. now big man cannot even get work. He didnt bring clear harbor, clear harbor came on its own. i know he lost ross. your point about vehicles being registered means what? The economy is sunken. go to Roseau on a friday on a month end. or a saturday. you will see how we are poorer. cost of living keeps raising. minimum wage still $4.50, quality of living is crap.
The messed up thing is that skerro still owe me $200 yuh. I was expecting to get that this month but looks like I going have to keep using my holie underwear still
He said that “the Government of Dominica subsequently received a pledge of support for the construction of the international airport from the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and therefore, proceeded to diversify the use of most of the funds to respond to national needs emanating from the destruction of Hurricane Maria.
Are you serious! Throwing the bone to go after the shadow! What were discussed approximately two weeks ago during the meeting with the land owners of Wesley and Woodfordhill. We’ll NEVER see an International Airport in Dominica.
Is it possible that the Government of the People’s Republic of China already owns our Nature Isle and we have yet to hear about that? This is shameful. I wouldn’t even talk about that money because there’s NO EXPLANATION. How could you?
It’s like Donald Trump taking money from the Military to build his wall that he said MEXICO would be paying for. Who gave these people such authority?
that’s a stinking lie. the amount of money and materials (including food rations) given to the Isle of Dominica by the international community could have rebuilt a brand new Dominica. We had so much extra food, that there was food rotting on the port in containers. Next, in regards to building materials, we’ve amassed 1.2 billion dollars in revenue generated from passport sales over the past 3 years. and you wasted all of that on building a few core houses? if there aren’t sky-scrappers in Dominica then you’ve lied about how the peoples money was spent. i hope you treat your fans to a tasty treat of KFC with the $200+ you have left. because its not fort young you can go with that, much-less for the Kempinsky.
thank you. He was boasting about who had friends and who didnt. and how much he raised and what was given. and the opposition hadnt done anything and blabla. we heard of and saw donations both cash and materials coming in. family members all over the world supported their people first hand. when i get a “government ration” i gave it to my neighbor because i was ok and all they gave was white rice, white flour, white sugar, mac n cheese and potato. the rest i had to go in the country side and find. building materials stayed on respective savannas like loubiere pottersville etc for months after Maria. people couldnt even play a football or free up like how Mamo ensured after David, people had an outlet. We hear of allll these passport sales. I mean how are we brokes. and still so agwass. we paroing man? we cannot even fix deep water harbour to make it look like something decent, roads still a mess, wotten waven still using bypass., copthall is halfway done, pond casse need resurfacing.
It amazes me that anyone is surprised at this development.
I remember when the covid19 started Linton was saying to the Prime Minister to use the airport money to help Dominicans. Now he is asking where the money gone
@bigger
So what’s your point!!!!!!
How was it spent?
Skerrit himself cannot explain how it was spent!
Isn’t that strange to you?
@bigger, you seem not to have any concept of accountability. Even if you authorize someone to spend money, a responsible person would present an account as to how the money was spent. Simple common sense and decency.
Linton asked because he knew there was money. Of course, he, and everyone, should ask where’s the money. You can’t take money allocated for a project to use on another project without giving account for that money.
What did your PM do with the millions donated by other countries after the hurricane,? Check his foreign bank accounts.
I have decided to change my acronym from de Observer to IIM.
Money that was in the airport fund is missing– But shut the leader up.
De nurse telling the truth about what the minister should have know in his ministry, and de plank walker who had a job with de man is not trying to– shut the leader up.
So I cannot keep dat acronym no more……
There is only John de Baptist, and it ain’t him because he can be speaking, but he cannot baptice a leader like dat.
So I am becoming IIM.
IMPUTING
IMPROPER
MOTIVES
This atrocity against the state( The people of DA) when it comes to the constant disappearance and mismanagement of its financial resources…..requires a mandatory 50 years prison time for this sitting PM.
What we call this again STICKY FINGER????
LABOUR WORKING!!!!!.
Fifty (50) years imprisonment is not enough!
Those scamps deserve other punishments to go with it!
What a bunch of lies!!!
This man is delusional!
Worse….the members of de executive…. sitting in cabinet and parliament!
So long Maria pass…we been in parliament to talk of dealing with de hurricane…and that was never revealed! You wanted to surprise us?
This is actually recorded in parliament?? De clerk and de speaker honoring that hogwash?
People will actually allow their character to be rolled in mud and lies? You want de ordinary person to look to you all with any respect?
So where is the money coming from to pay for land in Wesley for de so called international airport?
De airport development account supposed to be for matters dealing with airport only!
All dat on your record and you doh feel embarrassed yet? this man has lost it!
SKERRIT MUST GO!!!!!!
$200,000 EC left? Where did the money go? What did the PM do with the millions? He should not have had to use the money millions were donated by the international community after hurricane Maria for re-building, what did he do with those millions too. It is time to do an audit of the PM foreign bank accounts for all the missing money. Hello INTERPOL.
To answer the question where did the money go….
Most of it went to infrastructural services…… That is the shady company that got to that money and we can guess who there owner is. The trucks are still in massacre waiting for a no boat to trinidad. And also the 9.5 million in taxes waived with no cabinet knowledge.
Who doesn’t hear will feel
No no my boy. Not two hundred thousand dollars left in the account but only rwo hundred and he not even ashamed to say that.
“$200,000 EC left?”
Roosevelt did not say two hundred thousand dollars left; he said “$200.00 dollars left; that is “two hundred dollars.”
There is a vast difference in two hundred, and two hundred thousand!
It’s not $200,000.00, it’s $200.00.
A few years ago I was looking for a name of the ailment that was paluging our dear Leader. Today, thanks to another KING Liar Mr. Donald Trump I now that the name I was looking for all along. Its called the Wah-Manteer Syndrone (King Liar Syndrone).
This man will even try to lie to St.Peter at the Pearly Gates when he gets there to see if he can enter but I promise him that the said St.Peter is not a Dcan police officer or labourite he can fool with his cunning, deceptive way. Hence, his fate shall be sealed before he even gets there. My god, my god…please open your eyes Dcans and get this man out of our highest office lest we all persh with him.
For all the people who think the PM stole the money, I want them to know that hurricane Maria was a hoax and there is absolutely no evidence of where the money was spent……
I know you try to be a comedian Tommy but this is not funny bro. You ever hear there is no honour amongst thieves.
So all before election the airport development fund has so much million even Mr. Christian was defending it. Now the same tongue saying it was usedafter maria. Stop fooling the people skerrit.
His problem is he is telling so many lies he doesn’t know what he said half a year ago. I said it for the last 15 years, the man is a con but Dominicans keep on loving their PM and allow him to rob them blind!
I still think: Forget airport and finish build the geothermal plant. By the way, if you have picked up $1 billion+, stop taking loans from imf/world bank. They are predatory people, they don’t like you.
However, this event was perfect opportunity to be transparent, come clean and tell us what’s in the airport deal with the Chinese. After all, is not a done deal. We, most of us, have already heard what happened to (is it Namibia?) that the shrewd Chinese made what some call predatory loan(s) ‘and’ built their port without letting its citizens know that if the deal is breached China gets to own the port(s) for 99 years, and it happened, China now owns the thing(s); like the British did to them for Taiwan. Tell your people man, tell them, what’s so hard to do?
What is most mind boggling about the vacuuming of the airport and CBI funds is this. Thousands of Dominicans are living in entrenched and abject poverty presently. Much of this money, use wisely, could have alleviated much of this suffering.
I can only conclude that Mr. Skerrit has shown a depraved indifference to the every day hardship and excruciating hunger pains of his fellow Dominicans while he basks in utmost comfort in his palatial fortress paid for by these impecunious citizens. The man is a sadist.
Here we go skerrit give an account for every cent how it was spend Mr is just like Judas what next again da will never have international airport
Hahaha 200.00 left of 150million . Tell em, Dominicans think they can just stretch their hands and that money not coming out somewhere. Who to blame, the people or the government. 67k people in dominica so that number makes sense . Now had people had a practical living wage, insurance etc the burden be less
Speant time in Dominica, I am back in the US now. Sad thing is just like in the US people will complain how shady politicians are. How certain ones are criminals and need to go. But at election time they have short memories and line up to vote them back in. Sad
So what about the money given to us by IMF and other countries to help us after Maria…. and what about all the other countries who sent workers to help us… God, only you can help us now!!!!
Mr. Skerrit has no formal training in finance, accounts nor economics yet he is the Minister of Finance. He spent no time in any university for the last twenty (20) years yet he has obtained two doctorates. Miraculously indeed!
Nothing surprises me anymore about this man’s errant ways. If Mr. Skerrit were put in charge of the Sahara Desert (the largest desert in the world), in a very short time the desert would be completely depleted of sand.
The man is cognitively deficient. He mismanages everything. He has brought shame and curse on Dominica.
Dominicans voted. It was a democratic process. Perpetual poverty is also democratic
Okay, I accept that. So what about the almost $2billion that was raised from hurricane relief internationally together with the Bill Clinton Foundation? I thought it was this fund doing all the after hurricane build back better? I am not even talking about CBI yet! This man has betrayed Dominica and its potential development so openly and brazenly but Dominicans allow him to get away with it for $20.00 red clinic! When did Dominicans become such fools?
The web is getting tighter and tighter and they are running out of spaces to hide. Dubai will be the last resort, mark my words…
The new Airport will be named China friendship Airport, with your “Pledge of support”. Who is really going to benefit more from this but chinese imported goods at 0% VAT and coronavirus.
No accountability, no transparency no records to show. I like many others can’t help but wonder, when will Dominicans come to their senses. So you take the countries morey without authority and place it in the hands of a none Dominican and without warning or knowledge of the Parliament, retrospectively declared a housing option to the CBI program. Now, after receiving the approval of parliament he declares that the movies which Parliament had approved had been used for other purposes. According to skerrit Dominica is not a real country because if it were, covid or no covid they would be on the road asking for this guy to leave office
“There’s just over EC$200.00 left in an airport development fund, which, two years ago, … ”
I boy Wanda if some-bady meak wan mistake?
Perhaps the triple doctor Punjab erred; when him said two ($200.00) hundred dollars left!
Well two hundred dollars not enough to feed a dog in Dominica for a week, so how is that amount going to build an International Airport?Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Lennox, rather than standing there arguing with that Mountain Chicken Mentality doctor of everything, try to negotiate with him, not to destroy, or victimize the people of Wesley by destroying our village; but rather use the land that is already bought and paid for; for the purpose of building the Airport!
That boy Roosevelt is wicked!
I put a curse on him you know.
This is what you get when you have a guy with two honorary doctorates who believes he has the real PhD. The excuse is hurricane Maria, really Skerritt? Taxpayers are now spending$64,000 per month to house the prime minister. I’m sure that some of that money could have been spent to build a prime minister’s house out if the $149 million. Now Skerritt is applying to the IMF for loan assistance and he wants to dictate the terms. No wonder when develop countries give monietary assistance to some developing countries, a large amount goes to pay for technical personnel to oversee the spending of that money. Because this is what you get, from $149 million to $200.00
waaaaaay, boy look kicks in my country… Skerrit, not even laborites that believing that story there.
But we live in a dictatorship… so even though no-one believes this story, nobody can do anything about it.
We need detailed receipts audited by a truly independent auditor cause we cannot trust you.
And this Constant reliance on the Chinese for everything. They using your financial irresponsibility and your refusal to develop a sustainable economy based on our natural resources as an excuse to recolonise us. Eurocentric colonialism haven’t even left us yet, but we here signing our rights over to the Chinese! Jus now we will be celebrating mandarin day instead of creole day!
So wait a while, you diverted actual funds – l’argent chech, based on a promise…which is a comfort to a fool. Now if the Chinese pull a 180, you have no legal recourse since this was not even legally binding. Boy, boy, sacway sort!
hahahahahahahaha boy DA politicians good too wii boy!!!! hahahahhahaha $200 alone? Serves Dominicans right!!
Labour ka twavay! Excuse my patois spelling.
Boy look commess!!
I would not be surprised if these monies were used as kool-outs for elections. Secondly people need to know what arrangement there is with the Chinese.
Skerrit, how convenient. Maria is coming to your rescue once again! However, we don’t want your talk, we want to see the books and independently audited accounts from you. Your talk is cheap and doesn’t mean a thing.
Pinocchio Skerrit? I do not believe that puppet, and trust it even less.