Natalie's million-dollar secret - What the MPs were hiding in Constituency Development Fund talks
Published:Sunday | October 17, 2010 | 12:00 AM
... OCG, media scrutiny scare Opposition MP after overspending on project
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
PEOPLE'S National Party (PNP) Member of Parliament (MP) Natalie Neita-Headley broke the rules of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in 2008 by going ahead with a $1.3-million roadwork project without first securing approval for the expenditure.
But Neita-Headley received the support of members of parliament on the committee from both sides of the political divide to not only approve the expenditure, but to keep it away from the glare of the media.
The matter is only now coming to light after The Sunday Gleaner obtained copies of the minutes of the meetings which were held in camera for almost two years, despite protestations from sections of civil society.
According to the minutes, Neita-Headley erred by going ahead with work on the Jew Pen Hill to Giblatore Road in her East Central St Catherine constituency without the green light from the CDF Unit, which operates out of the Office of the Prime Minister, and the parliamentary committee chaired by government MP Everald Warmington.
"She accepted the fact that she was negligent and asked the committee to look at a way forward," read a section of the minutes.
The minutes show that the work cost $1 million more than the $300,000 Neita-Headley had available under emergency funding.
Sought retroactive approval
Neita-Headley then sought retroactive approval for her blunder.
According to the minutes: "She said that when the work was assessed, it turned out to be far greater than what she expected … . She appealed to the committee to deal with the matter in a favourable way so that she could honour the obligations to the persons who did the work.
"She said that there was proof to show that the work was done. She reiterated her appeal to the committee for some leniency in ensuring that the project would be paid for, understanding the circumstances that led to the breach."
In that December meeting, government MP Andrew Gallimore suggested that Neita-Headley approach the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) to seek guidance on how to deal with the breach.
But that suggestion was dismissed by Neita-Headley, who said she would rather go to the bank and secure a loan to cover the outstanding amount than go to Contractor General Greg Christie.
"He (Gallimore) recommended that perhaps the CDF Unit or member Neita-Headley could write a letter to the contractor general with all the relevant documentation, setting out clearly that the breach took place, and stating that there was a terrible error in judgement and some guidance was required in going forward," the minutes reported.
Everald Warmington, chairman of the CDF Committee, and Moveta Munroe, director of the CDF Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, believed that Gallimore's recommendation was excellent and could be a way out of the sticky situation.
But Neita-Headley would have none of it.
She "expressed disappointment with the proposal to resolve the issue. She said that she believed that the matter could be solved at the committee level with the understanding that in going forward, it should not recur," the minutes disclosed.
It continued: "She said that everyone was learning a lot of the processes, and if the matter would have to be taken to the contractor general, she refused to have her indiscretion as a subject of discussion.
"She would rather go to the bank and secure a loan to pay for the work done.
"She said that if her parliamentary colleagues and the members of the team that she had been working with were going to bring her name and her constituency to the contractor general for having been in breach for $1,000,000, she refused to be a part of that."
Neita-Headley also suggested that there could be a clear indication on the file of the CDF Unit and that of parliamentary committee that the indiscretion had occurred, and a warning that such a situation should not recur.
Missing the point
It was further disclosed that Warmington believed that Neita-Headley was missing the point.
"He said that the MPs could not dictate to the CDF Unit as they had a responsibility to discharge."
Despite Neita-Headley's stance, officials from the CDF Unit, obviously keen on protecting the integrity of that body, refused to rubber-stamp the retroactive approval request.
According to the minutes: "Munroe told the committee that they might not be aware of the scrutiny of the contractor general and that he already had his team on the road visiting sites."
Munroe also said that she was not sure whether the contractor general's team had already visited the site in question, but she was not prepared to take any risks.
Gallimore later clarified that his recommendation to seek the guidance of the contractor general was not for the situation to be the subject of the media.
At the meeting a week later, Munroe told the committee that she had discussions with officers at the OCG and was told that they had not visited the site.
She said the OCG had suggested that the committee could deal with the matter.
Notwithstanding, Neita-Headley was still not clear if she was out of the woods.
Later in the meeting, when the matter came back up for discussion, Warmington attempted to articulate his understanding of what had been expressed by Munroe, but according to the minutes of the meeting, "his expression did not represent the information that Ms Munroe wished to be recorded".
Situation would not recur
Gallimore then said he believed that Munroe would wish to state that after careful review, the team from the CDF office decided to honour the commitment as long as the members, including the member involved, understood that such a situation would not recur.
"Ms Munroe expressed satisfaction with the way member Gallimore articulated the decision that was made," the minutes read.
In response, Warmington said he believed that the decision was stated in a very diplomatic way. "The members agreed with the decision that was taken."
The CDF Committee, chaired by Warmington, is mandated to "examine and recommend for approval proposed estimates for constituency projects submitted to the CDF by respective MPs".
The Warmington-led body was the only parliamentary committee to meet behind closed doors despite repeated attempts by the media to be allowed to cover its deliberations. However, mounting public pressure recently forced the parliamentarians to open the meeting to the public and allow the media to cover future sittings of the committee.