By Prior Beharry
TAXPAYERS had to fork out close to a billion dollars in fees to attorneys and other entities from October 2010 to June 2021 in Trinidad and Tobago.
During that 11-year period, the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led People’s Partnership government and the Dr Keith Rowley-led People’s National Movement government paid out $905,348,551.38 in fees.
The payments were revealed by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi in Lower House on Friday.
The figures were made public after Al-Rawi had insisted last month, during a Standing Finance Committee meeting of the Parliament, that he was not going to reveal the fees paid to attorneys for state work.
But, the documents laid in Parliament were in two lists.
The first revealing the fees paid during the period October 2010 to September 2015 in which the United National Congress government under Persad-Bissessar was in power. Fees paid by the state amounted to $494,848,294.22.
During October 2015 to June 18, 2021, taxpayers paid $410,500,257.16 in legal fees under the current Rowley-led PNM government.
Accounting firm Deloitte and Touche Trinidad was paid the lion’s share of $134,295,545.23.
In Parliament, Al Rawi said the Deloitte and Touche payment was for one matter for forensic work relating to investigations by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
See full lists of payments below:
