Arson a problem in Caribbean government financial departments

LIAT Airline hangar fire also destroyed certain financial records.

Arson is not just a problem in the Caribbean, but it is a Caribbean problem – particularly in government financial departments

by Peter Binose

Usually arson in government buildings and Ministries is set or caused to be set by someone in the ruling government party – someone or some group that wants to destroy records, before records destroy them.

You may have noticed it’s always claimed to be an act of terrorism, an act committed by the opposition – by anyone except by government themselves.

Its quite amazing that whenever these fires happen it’s very often in the Ministry of Finance or some accounting department holding financial records. And it’s more than often in countries that are in financial difficulty.

Here are a few incidents that paint a picture… 

CARICOM Crime and Security Chief under investigation: Corruption, Fraud

Lynne Anne Williams accused of “Corruption, Misappropriation, hiring of unqualified staff, fraudulent accounting practices”

The Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Impacs) is headed by Lynne Anne Williams, who took over in September of 2009. She makes US$14,000 a month plus expenses, but that wasn’t enough so she created phony travel expense invoices and pocketed the money.

Anyone ever heard of “Darreyl’s Bungalow Short Term Accommodation” in Barbados? Nope. Me neither.

But Lynne Anne Williams stayed there and billed for it.

And that is nothing, just a flea bite compared with all the allegations we’re seeing in the Trini press. Yup, Williams; visited Barbados for a 20 day security meeting that never happened and she billed for the whole thing – right at Crop Over too. Must be a coincidence!

“This signifies a clear recognition by the Caribbean Community….of the danger that unchecked financial crime poses to our economic and political systems” said Lynne Anne Williams, the Executive Director of CARICOM IMPACS.

Lynne Anne Williams speaking about money-laundering back in January 2011. What a joke!

Yup, it’s really hit the fan at IMPACS, and it’s not just Williams either. The allegations are flying and it’s not he-said, she-said stuff because copies of the phony invoices are in the hands of the newspapers.

So what will happen? Come on folks… you know what’s going to happen in the end. Lynne Anne Williams will quietly retire, no charges will be laid and it will all fade away. Because…

Our Assessment: Williams is guilty as hell, but will never be charged because before coming to IMPACTS she headed the Special Intelligence Agency for 14 years and nobody is going to mess with what she knows.

Who will watch the watchers?

Congratulations to Trinidad and Tobago: Now “Murder Capital of the Caribbean”, knocks Jamaica out of #1 spot

“The English-speaking Caribbean, which extends from the Bahamas in the north to Trinidad and Tobago in the south, averages 30 murders per 100,000 inhabitants per year, one of the highest rates in the world, according to the Economist.

With 550 homicides in 2008, Trinidad and Tobago has a rate of about 55 murders per 100,000 making it the most dangerous country in the Caribbean and one of the most dangerous in the world, according to press reports. The rate of assaults, robbery, kidnapping and rape in Trinidad and Tobago is also among the highest in the world.”

… from eTurbo News article Trinidad and Tobago have overtaken Jamaica in a dubious distinction: the “murder capital of the Caribbean.”

Lawyer Stephen Alleyne cautions Barbados shouldn’t be so smug

The authorities in Barbados should find no solace in the fact that, according to Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin, the murder rate in Barbados is one of the lowest in the English-speaking Caribbean. At 8.2 per 100 000 of population, it remains one of the highest in the world, outstripping most North American and European countries…

… continued at The Barbados Advocate article New Challenges Ahead