People found committing crimes in "cutting corners" at the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott) will be made to do time in jail, prime ministerial-hopeful Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said. Persad-Bissessar stressed that "none shall escape." She said: "I do not care who you are, from highest to the lowest, we will go after you...I make no bones about that."
According to Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister Patrick Manning appeared to be "a stranger to the truth," after he stated that "some corners were cut" at Udecott to get things done quickly. She provided a list of ten Udecott projects and showed that each project was overrun in cost, outside of budget and failed to be delivered on schedule. ?
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"Ten Udecott projects–Every single one on a cost overrun, outside of budget and outside of time," she said. "To say that you had these companies and you were...cutting corners to get it done quickly, here is the lie to that." Persad-Bissessar was speaking during an interview on CNC3 last night with host Shelly Dass-Clarke after Manning's pre-recorded television interview was aired. She was offering rebuttals and comments to statements Manning made in his hour-long television segment. Persad-Bissessar said her People's Partnership political party would launch immediate and further investigations into Udecott. Asked if she would launch a witch-hunt into the PNM, if the partnership wins the May 24 general election, Persad-Bissessar said she would launch a "witch-hunt for criminals."
"What would we do with Udecott?...As with many other of these mega companies that government has set up, it is clear that we will need to go in there and investigate," she said. Persad-Bissessar also drew reference to Manning's statement about the church on the Heights of Guanapo. "I am not convinced by anything he has said...Well, this is so preposterous...Two new things have come out from Mr Manning...maybe it was Mr Hart in his personal capacity...and then, secondly, he says 'PM' means project manager. Wow," she said. "Who is this project manager then? Is there a project manager for building this church? Will that 'PM' come forward? Mr Manning has been known for speaking in the third person...we will ask Mr Manning to ask the 'PM' whether he has an involvement in this church?"