Former Army chief, General Hudson Austin has landed a state paying job with the Tillman Thomas-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government. A government document submitted to Parliament shows that Austin has been hired at $4000.00 a month as a Building Supervisor at the Richmond Hill prison where he was an inmate for nearly 25 years. General Austin was among seventeen former government and military officials convicted for the murder of their former colleague, Marxist Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop in a bloody palace coup on October 19, 1983. During his stay in prison, Austin who has experience in the construction industry, played a key role in the erection of several buildings on the compound. At the release of his sentence from prison, Austin was hired by the State to play a leading role in completing some of the building projects that he had started at the prison. General Austin is the only former revolutionary figure whose name appears on the list that was provided to Parliament by Prime Minister, Tillman Thomas based on a question asked by Opposition Leader, Dr. Keith Mitchell. However, the NEW TODAY newspaper has since learnt that former army Major, Leon “Bogo’ Cornwall was recently hired by the State to do work at the Richmond Hill prison in the Education programme. Cornwall was among the last batch of prisoners to be released in September 2009 after serving lengthy sentences for the execution of Bishop and a number of close colleagues following a feud for control of the then ruling New Jewel Movement-led People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG). The ex-army officer who served at one time as Grenada’s Ambassador to Cuba, and a former teacher at a secondary school on the island, was a key member of the teaching staff in the prison education programme. The document that came before Parliament also gave an insight into the salaries and allowances paid to several public officers who were hired by the Thomas government after it came to power in July 2008 after defeating Mitchell’s NNP in general elections. The persons earning the highest salary was Attorney-Generals, Jimmy Bristol and Rohan Phillip whose take home pay approached the EC$16, 000.00 a month mark. This fell below the estimated EC$19, 000.00 a month that was earned by Jamaican attorney-at-law, Hugh Wildman, who served as a Special Prosecutor under the NNP watch and head of the Financial Intelligence unit (FIU). According to the document in the possession of this newspaper, Barbadian, Dr. Hugh Sealey, a brother-in-law to the Minister of Finance, Nazim Burke, has been hired by the new government as Energy Advisor at $8000.00 per month. Speculation is rife that Sealey is being paid by a funding agency.The document also shows that former government minister and Executive Director of the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Christopher De Riggs, who is now the Director in the Office of Private Sector Development is getting a salary of $7500.00 per month. In addition, De Riggs who operates within the Ministry of Finance is also getting other perks like traveling, cellular phone allowances and the customary 50% duty free concessions on the purchase of a vehicle. Another new entrant in the Private Sector office, Sandra James was hired at $3985.00 per month and also benefits from the usual traveling and allowances that go with the job. US-based medical doctor, Dr. Trevor Layne, who is listed in the document as Consultant to the Oncology Programme run by the Ministry of Health is getting $13, 584.50 per month.Dr. Layne was recruited by the new government as a replacement for Guyanese cancer specialist, Dr. Carl Niamatali whose qualification came under scrutiny after the July 2008 polls. Another person earning in excess of $10, 000.00 a month is former OAS diplomat, George Vincent who has landed a contract which pays him $10, 867.60 per month. In the Ministry of Finance, two other civil servants with above average salaries who landed job with the new government were: *Hainsley Edwards - System Administrator - VAT Unit who is taking home $4250.00 per month * Natasha Marquez-Sylvester, Head of the Debt Management Unit with $6600.00 per month, as well as traveling and concessions on the purchase of a vehicle and 12.5% on total salaries at the end of her contract. In the legal profession, those persons with notable salaries were: * Solicitor-General, Dashan Ramdhani who is taking home $14, 739.00 in salaries and other perks including inducement and allowances in lieu of private ;practice, *Karen Samuel - Senior Crown Counsel $11204.00 per month in salaries and other perks. *Naeisha John - Crown Counsel - $8777.00 in salaries and other perks. *Jo Francis - Crown Counsel - $9086 in salaries and other perks * Petrona Sealey-Brown - Chief Parliamentary Counsel - $14182.00 per month in salaries and other perks *Tahyra Gellineau, Magistrate, Southern District - $11,134 per month in salaries and other perks. Another attorney-at-law, Feron Lowe, a senior member of Congress who has left his job at the private law firm of Ciboney Chambers to become Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Agriculture is earning only $4500.00 a month. In addition, defeated NDC candidate, Ingrid Rush who was hired after the elections as Manager of Food Security in the Ministry of Agriculture is also paid $4500.00 a month for the job. In the diplomatic field, the Thomas government also provided the salaries and allowances paid to all newly hired Ambassadors and other high profile members working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. *Ambassador Stephen Fletcher in Brussels - $59, 748.00 a year *Ambassador Marcelle Gairy in China - $59, 748.00 per annum. *Ambassador Dessima Williams who is the island’s envoy to the United Nations - $59, 748.00 a year. * Ambassador George Mc Leish gets $50, 364 a year for his posting in Caracas. In addition, he takes homes an entertainment allowance of $6520.56 per annum, Spouse allowances of $6520.56 a year, Child allowances of $3912.34 a year, and “Special Allowances” of $44, 100.72 per annum. * Defeated NDC candidate for St. George North-west, Ingrid Jackson who is assigned to the Grenada Embassy in Washington as Attaché is receiving a monthly salary of $$3688.00, as well as a Housing Allowance of $2988.59 per month and Child Allowance of $1956.17. * The Grenada Honorary Consul in New York, Derek James is making $3890 per month, plus housing of $2988.59 per month and Entertainment Allowances of $3260.28 per year. * Richard Nixon who is serving as Counselor in China is getting $4508.00 per month and other perks such as Spouse, Entertainment and Child allowances, plus a 12.5% gratuity on his total salary at the end of his contract. *Alice Thomas-Roberts, Chief of Protocol - $5000.00 a month plus allowance of $1500 for Clothing, an additional $4944 and $1260 per annum in Traveling and for use of Cell Phone respectively. The Congress administration also indicated that another of its political activist Faye Thompson landed a job as Executive Assistant in the Ministry of Housing at $5000.00 per month coupled with the usual perks for traveling allowances and 50% duty free concession on the purchase of a vehicle. Also in the Ministry of Housing, the notable persons who were hired after the last elections were: *Joseph Noel, Project Officer, Salaries of $50, 400.00 per annum, plus traveling of $412.00 per month and 50% duty & tax concessions on the purchase of a vehicle. * Anderson Simon, Project Co-ordinator, $4000.00 per month, as well as traveling and 50% concessions on the purchase of a vehicle. In the Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation, figures were given for:- * Betty-Ann Lazarus, Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation - $3000.00 a month plus traveling and 50% duty-free concessions on the purchase of a vehicle. *Ovide Hercules, Facilities Officer - $3000.00 a month *Devon Romain, Facilities Officer - $3000.00 a month *Gerard Mc Phail, Chief Implementation Officer - $3000.00 a month There were also some notable figures in the Office of the Prime Minister: *Aaron Moses - Policy Advisor - $8000.00 per month. Moses has since taken up a new posting with government with funding being provided by an external agency. * Vincent Roberts - ICT Co-ordinator, $5500.00 per month *Lincoln Depradine, Communications Director at the Government Information Service (GIS) - $5500.00 per month *Phillip Alexander - Special Assistant to the Prime Minister - $5500.00 per month *Richard Simon, Press Secretary - $5000.00 per month *Nigel Noel - Security Co-ordinator - $4500.00 per month In the Ministry of Sports, former policeman ad ex-member of Parliament, Kenrick Fullerton who has been hired as Advisor to the Minister of Sports, Patrick Simmons is getting $4500. 00 per month plus an additional $500.00 a month as “inducement”. * Stephenson Worme - Human & Public Relations Officer - $3500.00 per month * Kevin Andall, Youth Co-ordinator $3717.00 per month * Kathleen Henry-Andrew - $3500.00 per month * Robin James - Small Business Enterprise Co-ordinator - $3500.00 per month The above article is re-printed from The New Today (May 29, 2010) Original article found at:http://spicegrenada.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2271:austin-and-cornwall-land-state-jobs&catid=500:may-29th-2010&Itemid=143