NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Financial Secretary Simon Wilson says that gleaning the necessary information to get a true picture of the Minnis administration’s COVID-19 emergency spending is still “a work in progress”.
In an Eyewitness News interview, Wilson said: “It’s a work in progress. Information comes in. I know there is work going on with the DRA so it’s a work in progress. We have made progress. Are we satisfied, no were not satisfied but we continue to move along and get a handle on what’s happening.
While in opposition, Prime Minister Philip Davis had questioned the Minnis administration’s COVID-19 spending.
In a report from the International Monetary Fund in January 2021, the Minnis administration pledged that the Auditor General would investigate all COVID-19-related spending and revenue losses in a bid to uncover any “irregularities”.
A report by the Ministry of Finance last year revealed that the government has spent nearly $353 million over the prior two fiscal years on COVID-19-related expenses. The expenses included public health and safety, unemployment assistance, the acquisition of goods and services, the government’s job retention program, and food assistance.
An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report released back in July revealed that the total cost of the impact and effect of COVID-19 on The Bahamas is estimated at $9.5 billion, with the Bahamian economy expected to return to its pre-pandemic level by 2024.
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