Breaking – Pauline Lucas removed as REO of Region Four

THE IRFAAN ALI administration has moved Regional Executive Officer (REO) Ms Pauline
Lucas from Region Four and she will finish her contract in some capacity at the Ministry of
Local Government and Regional Development.
www.aroundtheregions.com was reliably informed that the REO has another year left on her
contract.
Mixed reviews greeted the news of Lucas’ removal as CEO. For some it’s a huge blow.
“The reality is that she has certainly impacted positively on the lives of many of the employees
and yes she offered many opportunities to persons with some abusing and wasting it but she did
what she could when she held the reigns of REO. There are many allegations against her but the
truth is that there are no perfect individuals so to expect her to be perfect is really a foolish
thought. However, many of the staff loved her frankness, fairness and determination in getting
things done,” a disappointed employee said.
But for others, Lucas had it coming.
“This was someone who with her charming and charismatic personality sought to give several
questionable contracts to close friends and relatives and the records are there so she should be
made to answer for these and other things. While she is very knowledgeable of the job, she had
made some decisions which has certainly resulted in many losing confidence in her ability to
continue managing this region,” an employee stated lauding the government’s decision.
The Ministry of Local Government weeks ago ordered Regional Procurement Officer, Corwin
Grandison sent on leave to facilitate investigations into suspicious voodoo-like business
involving officials of the Region Four RDC. So far, investigators have positively tied some
contracts issued for meals to Grandison and a relative of former Regional Chairman, Ms.
Genevieve Allen.
A source close to the probe had told www.aroundtheregions.com in an earlier interview that
Grandison, who many felt were unqualified and unsuitable for the portfolio, had little

supervision executing the sensitive procurement task. As a consequence, many RDC employees
now feel they were put in jeopardy and want to be grilled by investigators.
“REO Lucas had given this man (Grandison) a lot of leverage and he either took advantage of it
or was part of a plan with her and now she has to accept responsibility for her inactions and or
actions. She has no one to blame as many persons had warned and even complained to her but
she always dismissed their views, concerns and opinions so this is what you get for failing to
perform your responsibilities professionally and effectively,” a senior RDC employee said.
Another senior employee said there are still too many unexplained decisions and unanswered
questions and Lucas should face a grilling as Chairman of the Regional Tender Board.
But several other employees are convinced decisions by former Regional Health Officer (RHO),
Dr Quincy Jones along with Grandison and others precipitated her fall, resulting in the Ali
government losing faith in her ability to properly manage the finances of the most populous of
the 10 Regions.
In an earlier interview with this media house, Dr Gavinash Persaud Regional Health Officer had
made several damning revelations. He had told this media house that he firmly believes that
Lucas either was part of a ring with the RHO or deliberately turned her eye away from several
actions that were taken by the former RHO, which he finds very disappointing.
“These guys (RHO and REO) bought 50,000 boxes of sugar strips, up to now we don’t know if
the sugar strips are compatible with the machine that we have. If these were sugar strips that we
could have used, then ok but imagine these sugar strips being bought for a foreign machine that
we can’t use then that’s out of the place,” the RHO had said.
Dr. Persaud told this media house then that such purchases must raise eyebrows, declaring that it
is evident that persons ‘high up’ including the REO and other persons within the health sector
may have facilitated such purchases.

He pointed out that several basic information was lacking from the purchases, noting that there
was no indication as to what type of Glucose strips were being bought and the justification for
why these strips were being bought.
“As a matter of fact, there is no indication on the purchase order as to what brand of strips were
bought. There is nothing to indicate. I have looked at it and have instructed the stores that if
anything comes in for health, let health see what it is especially,” the RHO had argued
In retrospect, Lucas might now be ruing facilitating Grandison’s rise from an Office Assistant,
without the requisite skills and qualifications, to Regional Procurement Officer overnight.
“Her actions made it clear for all to see that she was determined to have him occupy that position
for suspicious reasons,” a staff had told this media.
Grandison’s unsuitability for the sensitive post, his omnipresence at the RDC headquarters
and alleged backing by Ms. Lucas, caused him to earn the moniker ‘CEO’ and forced some
members of staff to blame him solely for dictating who should be fired, transferred or
sidelined for reasons known only to him.