The Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services (MPSDFS) has successfully regularized Seventeen Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Two Dollars and Forty-Three Cents (TT$17,881,782.43) in audited unremitted outstanding statutory obligations owed by the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (CATT), following decisive intervention by the Honourable Vandana Mohit, Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services.
The payment addresses audited unremitted statutory deductions that accumulated under the governance of the current Board and senior management due to poor financial governance, inadequate oversight and a serious breach of fiduciary responsibility. Left unresolved, these liabilities exposed the Authority to significant financial and legal risk while compromising the integrity of one of the country’s most critical child protection institutions.
Upon assuming office, Minister Mohit immediately initiated a comprehensive review of CATT’s financial position and personally engaged the Ministry of Finance to secure the funding required to regularize the Authority’s unremitted debt. This intervention culminated in the initial clearance of recently audited outstanding payments totalling Thirty-Six Million, Thirty-Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Four Dollars and Fifty-One Cents, which marked a significant milestone in restoring its financial integrity.
Today’s second payment marks another successful tranche of those efforts.
The Minister emphasised that this intervention reflects the Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and prudent financial management, ensuring that public institutions meet their statutory obligations and operate in the best interest of the people they serve.
The settlement of TT$17,881,782.43 in audited unremitted outstanding statutory obligations removes an outstanding financial burden from the Authority and reinforces the Government’s resolve to correct inherited challenges through responsible leadership and decisive action.
To date, the Government has regularized a total of Fifty-Three Million, Nine Hundred and Twenty-One Thousand, Five Hundred and Sixteen Dollars and Ninety-Four Cents (TT$53,921,516.94) in outstanding debts and unremitted statutory obligations through two major funding tranches of TT$36,039,734.51 and TT$17,881,782.43, underscoring its unwavering commitment to restoring CATT’s financial stability and accountability.