By Alfred Sasako
GOVERNMENT payments to JQY Enterprise Ltd have pushed the company’s seven-year earnings past the $239-million mark, documents obtained by Island Sun show.
These payments were from the tax-payer funded Constituency Fund (CDF) grants. The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) pays JQY directly on the order of individual MPs.
According to the documents, East Kwaio and Small Malaita were the last two constituencies whose invoices for payments pushed JQY’s takings to $239,145,967.49 as of September 21 this year.
Their combined fundings were for equipment under the broad heading of transport. Small Malaita Constituency was designated the larger amount of SBD5.3million from the Transport Fund, formerly the Shipping Grants, administered by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID).
The payment was approved and went through on September 21, 2018. It was made through EFT (electronic funds transfer) BSP Credit reference number EFT GL082789, the documents show.
East Kwaio Constituency payments totalling $3,675,000 appeared to have been split in two and were made out to JQY Enterprise Ltd on September 10 this year. It carries the Purchase Order Number of 422795, Requisition Number HQR/0296/2018 and Invoice No. 407684.
But they are not the only two constituencies benefitting from JQY’s services – a government preferred supplier. Other constituencies have also paid for materials for their housing scheme as well as solar from JQY over the years, the documents show.
Meanwhile related documents which Island Sun has also obtained show only $8,994,317.24 in funding were paid into the East Kwaio Constituency bank account between 2012 and 2018.
In that period the Constituency received CDF grants totalling $44.3 million, according to published figures on the social media.
Each of the 50 constituencies received a total $44.3 million in the seven years to September this year. It is made up of:
2012 – SBD5.2 million;
2013 – SBD6 million;
2014 – SBD6 million;
2015 – SBD6.6 million;
2016 – SBD7 million;
2017 – SBD6.5 million; and
2018 – SBD7 million (yet to be audited).
Based on these figure, some $29 million is unaccounted for in the case of East Kwaio Constituency funding over the 2012-2018 period, unless there are bank accounts the Ministry of Finance is unaware of.
The documents show the last payment of $42,000 went into the Constituency Bank Account on August 12 this year.
The source of the last payment is the Ministry of Education and Human Resources INV Development, suggesting it could be part payment from the Constituency Scholarship Fund. The payment carries the Purchase Order No. 427319, Requisition No. MEHRD/Acc/152/2018.11, Invoice Number MEHRD/2323/18 with the Voucher No. 403484.
It is not clear whether much of the East Kwaio Constituency funding had gone through JQY Enterprise Ltd. This does not seem to be the case as payment records show only $6,606,121.33 was paid to JQY in the 2012-2018 period on behalf of East Kwaio.
In the same period (2012-2018), payments totalling $5,305,762.66 went into the personal bank account of the MP for East Kwaio and Minister for Infrastructure Development, Stanley Festus Sofu MP, the documents show.
Large payments in the MP’s bank account came from the National Parliament and the Office of the Prime Minister which disburses Taiwan’s secret funds to ministers and government backbench. The last payment of $303,000 was made into the account on September 21 this year.
