AUDITORS HAVE discovered several cases of irregularities at the office of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in St. Mary.
Three members of staff have been interdicted as the authorities investigate alleged cases of fraud. The acts of misappropriation were said to have been carried out during the distribution of subsidies to small farmers in the parish, under the Domestic Food Crop Programme.
The matter was made public by Councillor Bobby Montaque (Carron Hall Division) in a release calling on Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke to resign. The release charged that Minister Clarke was involved in a cover-up.
Speaking on local radio on Thursday afternoon, Minister Clarke dismissed the charges and defended his integrity. He confirmed that there were irregularities at the St. Mary RADA office and said that a letter had been prepared for the three officers implicated.
The unaccounted sum is said to be within the region of $600,000 which should have been distributed to small farmers to assist with the production of domestic food crops, such as yam and cocoa.
Superintendent of Police in charge of St. Mary, Warren Clarke, said while he had heard of the incident, no official report had been made to his department and, as such, he was unable to comment.
