After days of silence, former Minister of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) David Patterson yesterday acknowledged that he had received gifts from government agencies under his purview but he rejected any accusation of wrongdoing and said he assumed the purchases were in compliance with procurement guidelines.
What exactly Patterson received was still not clear yesterday but Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill totted up the value at $2.6m and called on his predecessor to do the honourable thing and resign as Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.
Patterson yesterday defended his actions by saying that the practice of giving memorabilia and gifts to ministers is not new as office holders from both sides of the political divide have been presented with such gifts.
