THE Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) was used as a political tool under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration, with contracts awarded to relatives of Government members and millions paid for a building that was never utilised.

This was the claim made by Minister of Rural Development and Local Government and Khadijah Ameen during her contribution to the debate on a motion to approve the report of the Standing Finance Committee at the Parliament sitting on Wednesday.

“When you go through that CEPEP list and you see the names of the directors of these companies and you see their names and similar names sitting in Opposition, when you see how close relatives of members opposite are on that list operating as CEPEP contractors and then their own supporters and the rest of Trinidad and Tobago bawling. Mr Speaker, it really is atrocious,” Ameen declared.