00:00The criticism follows the destruction of the $1.68 billion in narcotics at the Kearney cremation site.
00:06The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service says the drugs destroyed include cocaine, marijuana and heroin,
00:13with some of the seizures dating back to 2005.
00:16But Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzalez says the government should not take political credit
00:22for the destruction of drugs seized over several years.
00:25Those drugs have been confiscated by the TTPS since 2005, as it was stated by the TTPS's own release.
00:35Those drugs are exhibit. They cannot be destroyed unless matters are fully concluded, appeals, etc.
00:43Gonzalez was responding to the Prime Minister's social media comments about the narcotics' destruction
00:49and the government's efforts to combat the drug trade.
00:52He strongly rejected any notion that the $1.68 billion figure represented drugs seized under the current political administration.
01:02So to come to take the social media, I'm sorry, and claiming that $1.68 billion in drugs seized under
01:10the UNC or something of that nature
01:13is nothing but a satanic and demonic lie by Kamala Pesabisesa.
01:20The Opposition Chief Whip also took issues with comments from the Public Utilities Minister, Barry Padarath,
01:26concerning the Inter-American Development Bank and financing for the Water and Sewage Authority.
01:31The minister has said that there were outstanding issues which affected access to the IDB financing.
01:37Gonzalez rejected the explanation, arguing that the previous administration had already laid the groundwork for further financing.
01:44What he did when he became Minister of Public Utilities was to remove all of the qualified and competent people
01:52who had already laid the groundwork and had already gotten access to the first loan operation
01:58to the tune of $80 million U.S. dollars, and we were already putting plans in place
02:04for the second loan operation because of the performance of the first loan operation.
02:10He says the previous administration's handling of the first IDB operation was positively assessed by the bank.
02:17As a matter of fact, before I left the Ministry of Public Utilities, the IDB itself commended the Ministry of
02:24Public Utilities
02:24and WASA for the utilization of the loan resources and the amount of work that has been done under that
02:31short period of time.
02:32Gonzalez slammed the government for dismantling the previous WASA transformation plan
02:36and warned that the decision would affect the country's water sector.
02:40He went further, alleging that the IDB is now taking steps to protect itself because of concerns about the current
02:47administration.
02:48So don't be surprised. What you are seeing here is the IDB now putting up its guardrails
02:53to protect its institution from a corrupt UNC government.
02:57Charlotte Isto, TV6 News.
