Local journalist accuses DLP government of public theft

Invoice showing payment by the PM's Office for building materials.

Linton released documents to the press over the weekend, which purports to show a private individual taking possession of building supplies paid for by the prime minister’s office.

According to Linton, building supplies in excess of $6 000 were purchased from J Astaphans and Co Ltd, paid for with taxpayers money and then diverted to an individual with close ties to Trade Minister Dr. Colin McIntyre.

Linton claims that this is only the tip of the iceberg and is further proof of ongoing corruption within the DLP government involving the theft of taxpayers’ money.

The revelations come just over two years after the journalist revealed the now infamous ‘bin bobol’ scandal. In that incident, government ‘overpaid’ hundreds of thousands of dollars to Andre Dopwell, the brother of Dr McIntyre for the purported purchase of garbage bins.

After the revelations, Prime Minister Skerrit took responsibility claiming that it was ‘a mistake’ and vowed to get a refund from Dopwell. However, Linton later revealed that rather than have the supplier of the garbage bins make the refund, the money that was paid back to the Treasury originated from the lawyer of Prime Minister Skerrit, Stephen Isidore.

With the latest scandal, Linton has vowed to “not let this one go,” insisting rather that the people of Dominica demand answers and accountability from the prime minister from what he is describing as “the blatant theft of public funds.”