Caribbean Times 29th Issue - Friday 4th November 2016

Friday 4th November 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 11
India threatening to withdraw funding for
Commonwealth over Baroness Scotland’s spending
INDIA have hinted
they could pull their Commonwealth
funding after
spendaholic Labour Peer
Baroness Scotland left the
organisation’s HQ penniless.
The revelations will
increase pressure on the
embattled £160,000-a-year
Commonwealth Secretary-General
to quit after a
slew of embarrassing revelations
about her expenses.
Indian government
sources briefed local media
that they have “concerns
in how the budget is being
spent” by the British boss
and former Labour Cabinet
Minister.
The embarrassing slap
down comes just days before
Theresa May arrives in
India on an official visit.
Last week Baroness
Scotland was forced to
“lobby member states”
to “expedite” payment
of their membership fees
cont’d from pg 10
OECS.
“Subsequent to this we had the participation
of most of those entities in FIHAV
2015 and now 2016 supplemented by a
continual dialogue and engagement between
business entities of the OECS and
their Cuban counterparts.
“Baron Foods as an example have just
signed a contract for the first container
shipment of condiments and sauces to
Cuba.
“We have continued to engage the
process for other companies who are at
to fill a massive financial
black hole.
An emergency meeting
at the Commonwealth Secretariat
— funded by grants
from all member states
— was called to discuss
money troubles.
Former Attorney General
Patricia Scotland, who
is the most senior political
chief of the group, is facing
mounting pressure to explain
a £450,000 makeover
of her grace-and-favour
Mayfair flat and employment
of expensive Labour
cronies.
She brought in celebrity
interior designer Nicky
Haslam to oversee the
project, wasting £4,020 on
a mirrored cupboard and
£4,000 on new curtains.
£5,000 was spent on a
“vanity unit” and £2,000 on
bathroom tiles.
A devastating cache of
documents leaked to the
Guido Fawkes blog by
a Commonwealth whistleblower
reveals that
Baroness Scotland’s was
warned against the spending
spree.
Officials warned Baroness
Scotland her lavish
choices would “increase
the total cost for the refurbishment
from the original
£230k to near £450k”.
An aide wrote: “there
are no spare funds in
the budget”, so the extra
spending meant “going further
into reserves or cutting
programme expenditure”.
The expenses details
came when Baroness Scotland
was already struggling
to explain why she had
employed another Labour
Peer on a £30,000 contract,
ignoring recruitment rules.
She was already under
fire for hiring two former
New Labour spin doctors
£48,000 each for three
months work.
In a new escalation to
various stages of market access negotiations
and expect in the not too distant
future, a number of other companies will
have access to the Cuban market.
“Cuban authorities have consistently
emphasized their willingness to accommodate
Caribbean business entities given
the traditional good relations that have
been maintained and supported over the
years.
“This is important as we are now provided
a window of opportunity by the Cuban
authorities to enter the Cuban market”
said Ambassador Dr. Isaac.
the row The Sun understands
Baroness Scotland
“has been lobbying with
member states to pay their
contributions, and has received
assurances from at
least one big contributor
that they will expedite payment
of the dues.”
Along with Britain,
Canada and Australia, Indian
taxpayers are the largest
contributors to the Commonwealth
group.
New Delhi newspaper
The Wire reported Indian
government sources claiming:
“We are the fourth
largest financial contributor
to the Commonwealth.
“We have concerns in
how the budget is being
spent.”
Indian government insiders
added that Baroness
Scotland “was already under
a cloud when she came
in, so after that, when the
reports about renovations
are published, these compound
our worries about
her effectiveness.”
A source told The Wire:
“Remaining in the Commonwealth
is a legacy issue…
But, reducing funds
is still a possibility if the
situation persists”.
Baroness Scotland previously
courted controversy
after refusing to resign
as Attorney General in
2009 after being exposed
for employing an illegal
immigrant.