The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ST ANNE’S MP Hubert Chipman said the House of Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has completed its anticipated report into the operations and expenditure of Urban Renewal 2.0, adding that the findings will be released shortly.

Mr Chipman also revealed yesterday that the PAC has started the process of looking into matters surrounding the Bahamas Agriculture & Marine Science Institute (BAMSI).

As chairman of the committee, Mr Chipman said: “We’re going through the (Urban Renewal) report now. I’m going to sit with the auditor general and ask questions about how he arrived at certain things. After that process is completed we will release the report.”

Mr Chipman declined to divulge details about the report, which will be the first one produced by the Public Accounts Committee since the Christie administration assumed office in 2012.

The committee has three members from the official opposition and two representatives from the governing Progressive Liberal Party.

FNM Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest, who also sits on the committee, has said that there are several concerning elements about the Urban Renewal programme that the group is focused on. He recently told The Tribune he is not satisfied that the programme is fulfilling its mandate, adding that the initiative’s spending deserves greater scrutiny.

In the 2014/2015 budget, $9m was allocated to Urban Renewal. Grand Bahama received $2m of that budgeted amount.

It was reported last week that opposition leader, Dr Hubert Minnis has instructed the PAC to “aggressively” investigate contracts issued for BAMSI.

When asked about this, Mr Chipman said: “We’ve requested documents on contracts. That’s the main thing.”

Since its outset, the BAMSI project in North Andros has been criticised for lacking transparency.

Criticism escalated recently after it was revealed that the male dormitory at BAMSI’s compound, ravaged by fire in January, was not insured. According to Minister of Works Philip “Brave” Davis, the contractor allowed the building’s insurance to lapse.

However, the contractor for the building, Audley Hanna, later said he thought the building was insured at the time by a company called Southern Alliance. However, no company by that name is registered by the Insurance Commission of The Bahamas (ICB).

Last week Sunday, Dr Minnis said FNM investigations revealed that Southern Alliance “does not exist.”

Last week, Mr Davis also conceded that he had doubts about the insurer and that the matter would require an investigation.