00:00I give the assurance again at this point in time, as I did earlier, that at no point in time as minister in the government of Trinidad and Tobago have I acted dishonorably or acted in a way to benefit my family or my family businesses.
00:14Former government minister Foster Cummings is dismissing assertions of impropriety leveled against him and his family over the award of millions in state contracts.
00:25Over the weekend, a newspaper published an article alleging that companies owned by Cummings' family benefited from over $15 million in HGC contracts mere days before the general election.
00:38However, Cummings notes they were contract renewals, as the original award of contracts predate his time in government.
00:47Instanzitry, companies being Cummings & Associates Company Limited, which was registered on 24th of September 1998,
00:56PICAL Services Limited, which was registered on 11th of October 2002,
01:02and Riverlet Investment Group Limited, which was registered on 20th of March 2012.
01:07These companies started work with then the National Housing Authority way back in the 1990s
01:18and continued with the Housing Development Corporation, which succeeded the National Housing Authority thereafter.
01:27That none of those contracts started during my term as a minister.
01:34Cummings laments that his family is now under attack.
01:48That my family has been the subject of hate, emails, vicious, racial attacks.
01:57I wish to completely reject the notion that having family involved in business should disqualify one from public service in the Parliament or in the Cabinet.
02:08It has not disqualified past nor current politicians from serving.
02:13Meantime, PNM Senator Faraz al-Rawi, who has had to recuse himself dozens of times under the previous Parliament,
02:22says a line must be drawn between perception and reality,
02:25noting that legislation like the Procurement Act and Integrity in Public Life Act
02:30exists to provide provisions against corrupt practices.
02:34Mr. Eli Zakour, somebody who I have a lot of regard for as well, I know his family well, etc.
02:40Mr. Eli Zakour has two or three gas stations from NP, right?
02:45So by that standard, Mr. Zakour must ensure, hypothetically,
02:50that there is a direction from the Ministry of Transport, right?
02:53So what happens if any car from the Ministry of Transport turns up at his gas station?
03:02What happens if a PTSD bus buys gas at any of his gas stations?
03:08What happens if any member of the Ministry of Trade goes and buys Sasha Cosmetics?
03:14They must walk in and wipe off their face and take off the lipstick and go by Sasha?
03:19Where do you draw the line?
03:21Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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