CRAFT CENTRE STILL NOT FUNCTIONING

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Timothy Antoine, has confirmed that the state-controlled Grenada Craft Centre on Lagoon Road, in St. George's is facing an uncertain future.

 "...The Craft Centre has gone through a difficult period....", Antoine told members of the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the Houses of Representative at a recent session.

 ".... I don't think we could say the Board (of Directors) is functioning at this particular point in time", he said.

 The Craft Centre was build with funds provided by the Government of Canada to the Government and People of Grenada. Its mandate was to purchase craft items from locals to sell to the public, especially visitors to the island.

According to Antoine, the Craft Centre was forced to close its doors to the public at one stage.  However, arrangements were made for it to re-open, with some input from GRENCASE. "Right now, I know there are attempts to try properly re-establish the Grenada Craft Centre, with the full mandate as the law provides, because there is a law for the Grenada Craft Centre", he said.

Antoine refuted claims from PAC members, including Senator Chester Humphrey, that the Craft Centre was another of the entities, which the Keith Mitchell-led government had provided with financial guarantees. "We guaranteed a loan for the Craft Centre. In fact, when the loan was about to be guaranteed, I spoke vehemently against guaranteeing that loan until we got certain basic information, including an audited statement of accounts", Sen. Humphrey told the meeting.

The PS Finance said that he was unaware of this but he knew that the Mitchell government had provided one of the island's commercial banks with Treasury Bills in order to satisfy a loan, owed to it by the Craft Centre.

"... My recollection is that the Craft Centre owed monies to one of our banks; I think it was GBC (Grenada Bank of Commerce known now as RBTT Bank) and government gave.... GBC Treasury Bills.... in lieu to settle...", he remarked.

"They (government) paid them off.... Because they have the Treasury bill, which is a liquid instrument of security. Basically that (loan) was taken care of", he said.