Trinidad and Tobago has strong system to stop fraud against COVID-19 fund: Finance Minister

The entire process of the working is at the right place that will ensure complete transparency regarding the distribution of the COVID-19 relief funds and will also prevent from any fraud with that fund and other measures. Finance Minister Colm Imbert gave this statement.

Finance Minister Imbert also said that he has a very strong system to stop anyone from making access to the COVID-19 relief funds by fraudulent means.

Colm Imbert said that their latest online digital portal had more security features built into that. So that makes, very difficult for a person to cheat in terms of their Salary Relief Grant.

Imbert asked that what he has been hearing was that they have been doing much better. The total number of valid applications that they have been receiving for the month of May were 4,800 approximately.

Minister of Finance also said that regarding the distribution of both grants, the Finance and Social Development Ministries have been collaborating. He also noted that if the same person will be applying for both SRG and ICS, that person has to face cancellation.

Imbert said that as the government is continuously making different efforts that it can make to help those bar owners those who have been facing the closure under the public health regulations, during these working, the government have been meeting many challenges throughout.

Imbert said while Government continues to put efforts in searching what it can do to help bar owners whose businesses have been closed under the public health regulations, there have been challenges.

Imbert stated that out of 30,000 people, only 1,000 have applied for the SRG that are associated with the bars. 13,500 from the retail sector, respectively, used for the SRG and 15,000 people applied from the food/restaurant services sector.
Imbert informed that his ministry has been seeking information from the construction sector about those people that need relief.