by Linda Straker
- Allowances made available to all Transition Leads amounted to $5,000 per month
- Thomas–Peters presented special circumstances and did not draw down from allotted funds
- No other named person has come forward claiming non-payment
The Grenada Government has disclosed that one of the people named in the list of transition leads/advisors/associated staff hired to work in the public sector since June 2023 was not paid despite documents presented to the Parliament by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dickon Mitchell showing differently.
“Please be advised that allowances were made available to all Transition Leads for a 3-month period (July to September 2022) in the amount of $5,000 per month. In the specific case of Joyce Thomas–Peters, due to existing contractual arrangements, services were provided to the Government of Grenada on a pro bono basis,” Tahira Carter, Press Secretary responded in writing to inquiries about the payment to Thomas–Peters.
Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell filed 10 questions to Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dickon Mitchell that was on the Order Paper for the 5 December sitting of the Lower House. Among the questions were: Who are the advisors and or transition leads and associated support staff for each Ministry and Department in the Public Sector hired from 23 June 2022, and what are the salaries, allowances, and other forms of compensation or benefits associated with the advisors and or transition leads and associated staff hired in the Public Sector from 23 June 2022, sourced from Government revenues as collected from the people of Grenada or other sources?
That sitting concluded on 9 December, and during the session, Dr Mitchell confirmed to the Speaker that he received the answers. The questions were filed to be answered in written format and not orally.
In the answers circulated to members of the accredited media by the Parliament Office, 15 people including Thomas–Peters were named and collectively paid EC$225,000 from the Technical Assistance Fund in the Ministry of Finance. “Thomas–Peters presented special circumstances and, as such, did not draw down from the allotted funds,” Carter said when asked to explain why the collective payment was quoted as EC$225,000.
Following the publication of the answers, Thomas–Peters who served as Transition Lead for the Ministry of Climate Resilience, The Environment and Renewable Energy, challenged the inclusion of her name as someone who was paid and contractually hired for the 3-month period July to September.
No other person named in the list has come forward claiming non-payment. The others named in the parliament document are Ann Peters, Franka Alexis–Bernardine, Willan Thompson, Orlando Romaine, Faye Thompson, Gemma Bain–Thomas, Hugh Thomas, Learrie Barry, Andrea St Bernard, Deborah St Bernard, Sally-Ann Logie, Stephen Fletcher, Patrick Simmons, and Richard Duncan.
