Revoke EC$32,000 house rent plan or face legal action, Opposition Leader Lennox Linton told PM Roosevelt Skerrit in a letter. The opposition leader wrote the prime minister following news that the Cabinet approved a monthly payment of EC$32,000 to rent a house for the Dominican leader in Morne Daniel.
According to Linton’s letter, the prime minister already has an official residence in Morne Bruce and the Cabinet approval of EC32,000 for a monthly rent at Morne Daniel is extravagant, unacceptable, and an indefensible abuse of authority.
“The Parliamentary Opposition strongly condemns this morally and legally indefensible abuse of the authority of Cabinet,” Linton’s letter reads. “EC$32,000.00 is more than three times the monthly salary of the Prime Minister and more than the annual income of the vast majority of Dominicans. As Prime Minister for more than 16 years, you are well aware that Cabinet has no lawful authority for wasteful, uneconomical, bad value-for-money spending of public funds.”
Linton made it clear in his letter that Cabinet does not have the rights to approve taxpayers’ money for such purposes “without public tender or competitive bidding.” Of particular concern to Linton is the fact that Mercury Properties Development Ltd, owner of the Morne Daniel property, is owned by Montreal Management Company, the company constructing most of the hurricane-resilient buildings in Dominica under the Skerrit administration.
Given that the opposition has never been too pleased that Montreal Management Company is always awarded many of the construction services in Dominica, Linton is riled by the fact that Montreal’s CEO is the sole director of Mercury Properties Ltd., meaning the company will generate a total of EC$768,000 in two years for renting out the Morne Daniel property to the prime minister.
“We strongly oppose the use of money belonging to the people of Dominica for corrupt, selfish purposes and demand an immediate revocation of the Cabinet decision to rent the Morne Daniel residence…” Linton wrote. “Should Cabinet refuse to reverse this decision that flagrantly contravenes the financial regulations for procurement of public services, we will use all legal means and the rights granted to us by the Constitution of Dominica to have this matter resolved in the public interest.”
Other prominent persons such as DFP Chairman Johnson Boston and DFP executive member Michael Astaphan among others have kicked against the proposed house rent, saying it is ill-advised and a flagrant disregard for the welfare of the people of Dominica.
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