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*$kїđž!™ wrote:http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/New-contractors-at-NP-210665351.html
New contractors at NP
By Asha Javeed CCN Senior Multimedia Investigative Journalist
Story Created: Jun 7, 2013 at 10:16 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jun 7, 2013 at 11:46 PM ECT
Damian Lyder, husband of Minister of State in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Stacy Roopnarine, has been granted a gas station to manage by Trinidad and Tobago National Petroleum (NP) Marketing Company Ltd.
Lyder, through his company, Fused Royal Ltd, took over management of the St Augustine-based station on June 1.
Fused Royal, which was registered by public relations officer of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Faris Al Rawi in December 2009, lists Lyder and Jerry Joseph as directors of the company, which has a registered address at Boundary Road, San Juan.
Lyder was one of 28 successful applicants to NP’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for retailers that was publicly tendered for in late 2011 and again last year.
The project scope, according to advertisements placed in the daily newspapers, was: “NP is looking for individuals who are entrepreneurial in spirit and willing to invest in the business opportunity. Experience in retail management will be an asset. Our company will provide operational training and a franchise model that will afford you the opportunity to reach your site’s potential.”
There were about 163 applicants.
The process took NP almost a year to complete and the roll-out of new station franchises under a new model is expected to happen in the coming months.
However, the dealers who have been displaced by NP’s new model argue they have been sidelined in favour of supporters of the People’s Partnership administration.
The Express understands a meeting was held between NP officials and Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine to review the process followed by the company in the award of assignments and the expected fallout from disgruntled parties.
Among the other successful applicants at NP are:
1. Randy Ramtahal, a director at TSTT and Randy Ramtahal General Contractors (RRGC). Ramtahal was assigned the Maracas Bay station.
2. Basdeo Sharma, ex-husband of restaurateur Jenny Sharma of Jenny’s on the Boulevard. Sharma was assigned the Valencia station.
3. Elie Zakour, a former events co-ordinator and former member of the Udecott board. Zakour was assigned the Starlite (Diego Martin) station.
4. Fides Ltd, whose directors are Amelia Rampersad and Shane Sagar. Fides was assigned the Tragarete Road station.
5. Trinidad and Tobago Security Services, owned by chairman of First Citizens Nyree Alfonso and spouse Towfeek Ali. The company was assigned the Maraval station.
6. NIFT Energy, which was registered on June 13, 2012 and lists its directors as Alisa Aleem and Narisha Aleem. NIFT was assigned NP’s station in Royal Road (San Fernando).
7. Sharma Lalla, former chief executive of Caroni (1975) Ltd, was assigned NP’s Chaguanas branch.
8. Dyanand Maharaj, a director on the board of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) and managing director of Dylam Company Ltd. He was assigned NP’s Siparia branch.
9. Emmanuel Gonsalves, former president of Costatt who was suspended in July 2012 pending an audit into his tenure, was assigned NP’s O’Meara station.
10. Shambrins General Contractors—the Express was unable to find the company’s file in the company registry—was assigned NP’s Tunapuna branch.
11. United Bearings, whose directors are Brendan Garcia, Penelope Garcia, Ryan Garcia, Ronald Andrew Ramos, Badrinath Singh, Troy Nicholas Garcia and Amanda Garcia, was assigned NP’s Barataria branch.
12. Clarry Benn, former chief executive of Unit Trust Corporation (UTC), was assigned NP’s branch in Chase Village.
13. Francis Bertrand, former mayor of Point Fortin, was assigned NP’s branch in Debe.
14. Terrance Belton, a former superintendent of materials at National Gas Company (NGC), was assigned NP’s Santa Flora branch.
Among the assets sought from the new applicants, according to the RFP which was issued, were merchandising, promotion, selling skills, inventory management, vendor management, leadership and motivational skills and cash flow management skills.
NP’s rationale, according to chief executive Kenneth Mohammed in an interview with the Express yesterday, was to streamline the four models which the company now operates.
The four models are: Company Owned Contractor Operated Model (COCO); Company Owned Dealer Operated Model (CODO); Retail Excellence Model (REM); and Dealer Owned Dealer Operated (DODO).
The first step was to deal with the COCO model, which had 28 stations and which Lyder was among the recipients.
The next step would be for NP to deal with the CODO model, which would impact approximately 70 dealers.
Mohammed said after an assessment with Deloitte and Ernst & Young a decision was made to streamline all the service stations owned by NP under one standard operating model similar to that of an international franchise model.
He said this would enable NP to better manage and enforce NP brand standards, increase profitability, improve customer service and escalate operational efficiencies.
“The model is governed by an extensive contract with a term of ten years. Essentially, NP will be the holder of the retail marketing licence and fuel will be sold to the franchisee under a sub-licence arrangement.
“The franchisee will be required to pay to NP an initial investment referred to as the franchise licence fee, equivalent to seven per cent of projected profit. The franchisee will also pay a monthly fee to NP which will be calculated as a percentage of sales, similar to a monthly royalty payment. The monthly payment is calculated on a sliding scale, based on the volume of fuel sold and the value of convenience store sales,” he noted.
“Our expertise is in distributing fuel, not in running stations,” he added.
Another affected manager, Ronald Ramnath, who operates an NP station on Eastern Main Road, in Valencia (opposite Royal Castle), is expected to hand over his operations on July 1.
And while he too has refused to comment on the decision taken by NP, the Express learnt the Ramnath family has been operating in Valencia over the past 40 years with no complaints from NP.
In fact, over the years, NP’s management would send numerous persons to the Valencia station to be trained in the operations of the industry, which was rated among the top four stations in the country.
But not even this could stop Ronald Ramnath, 49, from getting the boot. He started working there at age 20, alongside his father, and it’s the only livelihood he has known.
The Express also learnt a relative of businesswoman Jenny Sharma, of Jenny’s on the Boulevard, has been tipped to replace Ramnath in Valencia.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/For ... 65161.html
White CZ4A wrote:It is alleged that ramtahal is a family member of KPB
kurpal_v2 wrote:White CZ4A wrote:It is alleged that ramtahal is a family member of KPB
Boyyyyyyyyy, that's the least of the allegations against him.
Reez100 wrote:suprised didnt see Kalco or any one of their companies in the list
Habit7 wrote:This rel sad boyAnother affected manager, Ronald Ramnath, who operates an NP station on Eastern Main Road, in Valencia (opposite Royal Castle), is expected to hand over his operations on July 1.
And while he too has refused to comment on the decision taken by NP, the Express learnt the Ramnath family has been operating in Valencia over the past 40 years with no complaints from NP.
In fact, over the years, NP’s management would send numerous persons to the Valencia station to be trained in the operations of the industry, which was rated among the top four stations in the country.
But not even this could stop Ronald Ramnath, 49, from getting the boot. He started working there at age 20, alongside his father, and it’s the only livelihood he has known.
The Express also learnt a relative of businesswoman Jenny Sharma, of Jenny’s on the Boulevard, has been tipped to replace Ramnath in Valencia.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/For ... 65161.html
28 successful applicants to NP’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for retailers that was publicly tendered for in late 2011 and again last year
pugboy wrote:how long are the new contracts for ? 100 years ?
bet your bottom dollar they will be very tightly bound
so next govt can't remove them
brams112 wrote:Habit7 wrote:This rel sad boyAnother affected manager, Ronald Ramnath, who operates an NP station on Eastern Main Road, in Valencia (opposite Royal Castle), is expected to hand over his operations on July 1.
And while he too has refused to comment on the decision taken by NP, the Express learnt the Ramnath family has been operating in Valencia over the past 40 years with no complaints from NP.
In fact, over the years, NP’s management would send numerous persons to the Valencia station to be trained in the operations of the industry, which was rated among the top four stations in the country.
But not even this could stop Ronald Ramnath, 49, from getting the boot. He started working there at age 20, alongside his father, and it’s the only livelihood he has known.
The Express also learnt a relative of businesswoman Jenny Sharma, of Jenny’s on the Boulevard, has been tipped to replace Ramnath in Valencia.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/For ... 65161.html
If you are operating a gas station for forty years and ain't put away millions something wrong with you,if you don't own the station you cannot complain,know of people who leased stations and they made a killing,plus the did not do it for long,np realized years the operators were making a killing,so they clamped down on the operators and owners.I saw someone highlighted a few names,why not explain the rest?
*$kїđž!™ wrote:http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/New-contractors-at-NP-210665351.html
New contractors at NP
By Asha Javeed CCN Senior Multimedia Investigative Journalist
Story Created: Jun 7, 2013 at 10:16 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jun 7, 2013 at 11:46 PM ECT
Damian Lyder, husband of Minister of State in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Stacy Roopnarine, has been granted a gas station to manage by Trinidad and Tobago National Petroleum (NP) Marketing Company Ltd.
Lyder, through his company, Fused Royal Ltd, took over management of the St Augustine-based station on June 1.
Fused Royal, which was registered by public relations officer of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Faris Al Rawi in December 2009, lists Lyder and Jerry Joseph as directors of the company, which has a registered address at Boundary Road, San Juan.
Lyder was one of 28 successful applicants to NP’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for retailers that was publicly tendered for in late 2011 and again last year.
The project scope, according to advertisements placed in the daily newspapers, was: “NP is looking for individuals who are entrepreneurial in spirit and willing to invest in the business opportunity. Experience in retail management will be an asset. Our company will provide operational training and a franchise model that will afford you the opportunity to reach your site’s potential.”
There were about 163 applicants.
The process took NP almost a year to complete and the roll-out of new station franchises under a new model is expected to happen in the coming months.
However, the dealers who have been displaced by NP’s new model argue they have been sidelined in favour of supporters of the People’s Partnership administration.
The Express understands a meeting was held between NP officials and Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine to review the process followed by the company in the award of assignments and the expected fallout from disgruntled parties.
Among the other successful applicants at NP are:
1. Randy Ramtahal, a director at TSTT and Randy Ramtahal General Contractors (RRGC). Ramtahal was assigned the Maracas Bay station.
2. Basdeo Sharma, ex-husband of restaurateur Jenny Sharma of Jenny’s on the Boulevard. Sharma was assigned the Valencia station.
3. Elie Zakour, a former events co-ordinator and former member of the Udecott board. Zakour was assigned the Starlite (Diego Martin) station.
4. Fides Ltd, whose directors are Amelia Rampersad and Shane Sagar. Fides was assigned the Tragarete Road station.
5. Trinidad and Tobago Security Services, owned by chairman of First Citizens Nyree Alfonso and spouse Towfeek Ali. The company was assigned the Maraval station.
6. NIFT Energy, which was registered on June 13, 2012 and lists its directors as Alisa Aleem and Narisha Aleem. NIFT was assigned NP’s station in Royal Road (San Fernando).
7. Sharma Lalla, former chief executive of Caroni (1975) Ltd, was assigned NP’s Chaguanas branch.
8. Dyanand Maharaj, a director on the board of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) and managing director of Dylam Company Ltd. He was assigned NP’s Siparia branch.
9. Emmanuel Gonsalves, former president of Costatt who was suspended in July 2012 pending an audit into his tenure, was assigned NP’s O’Meara station.
10. Shambrins General Contractors—the Express was unable to find the company’s file in the company registry—was assigned NP’s Tunapuna branch.
11. United Bearings, whose directors are Brendan Garcia, Penelope Garcia, Ryan Garcia, Ronald Andrew Ramos, Badrinath Singh, Troy Nicholas Garcia and Amanda Garcia, was assigned NP’s Barataria branch.
12. Clarry Benn, former chief executive of Unit Trust Corporation (UTC), was assigned NP’s branch in Chase Village.
13. Francis Bertrand, former mayor of Point Fortin, was assigned NP’s branch in Debe.
14. Terrance Belton, a former superintendent of materials at National Gas Company (NGC), was assigned NP’s Santa Flora branch.
Among the assets sought from the new applicants, according to the RFP which was issued, were merchandising, promotion, selling skills, inventory management, vendor management, leadership and motivational skills and cash flow management skills.
NP’s rationale, according to chief executive Kenneth Mohammed in an interview with the Express yesterday, was to streamline the four models which the company now operates.
The four models are: Company Owned Contractor Operated Model (COCO); Company Owned Dealer Operated Model (CODO); Retail Excellence Model (REM); and Dealer Owned Dealer Operated (DODO).
The first step was to deal with the COCO model, which had 28 stations and which Lyder was among the recipients.
The next step would be for NP to deal with the CODO model, which would impact approximately 70 dealers.
Mohammed said after an assessment with Deloitte and Ernst & Young a decision was made to streamline all the service stations owned by NP under one standard operating model similar to that of an international franchise model.
He said this would enable NP to better manage and enforce NP brand standards, increase profitability, improve customer service and escalate operational efficiencies.
“The model is governed by an extensive contract with a term of ten years. Essentially, NP will be the holder of the retail marketing licence and fuel will be sold to the franchisee under a sub-licence arrangement.
“The franchisee will be required to pay to NP an initial investment referred to as the franchise licence fee, equivalent to seven per cent of projected profit. The franchisee will also pay a monthly fee to NP which will be calculated as a percentage of sales, similar to a monthly royalty payment. The monthly payment is calculated on a sliding scale, based on the volume of fuel sold and the value of convenience store sales,” he noted.
“Our expertise is in distributing fuel, not in running stations,” he added.
FUEL FRAUD
Ministry probe: 30 boats, 3 gas stations named in bunkering racket
By Irene Medina Associate Editor
Story Created: Jun 8, 2013 at 10:01 PM ECT
Story Updated: Jun 9, 2013 at 1:38 PM ECT
Three service stations in south Trinidad and as many as 30 boats have been identified as being involved in the multi-million dollar illegal trafficking of diesel fuel, recent investigations by the Ministry of Energy and the National Petroleum Marketing Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NP) have found.
Major players allegedly involved in the illegal trade, according to the report, include officials attached to the Trinidad and Tobago Customs and Excise Division, NP, Unipet, retailers, peddlers, the State-owned petroleum company Petrotrin as well as trawler operators.
Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine could not be reached for comment yesterday despite numerous attempts by the Sunday Express to reach him on his cellphone. A text message to him also went unanswered.
The 22-page March report, which also includes photographs of a network of trucks and boats allegedly engaging in the illegal sale of fuel, also identified a soca artiste as being among the players.
During its investigations into one of the suspected service stations in Point Fortin, both Customs and Ministry of Energy officials requested the closure of the station as they sought to investigate the presence of a 4,000-gallon offsite storage tank located on premises near the station.
The property where the tank was located is owned by relatives of an official attached to the station.
The investigators were told by the official that the tank was used to store diesel for his part-time trucking business.
Further investigations revealed that the gas station official was in possession of two trucks fixed with “covered IBC plastic tanks used to transport diesel”, the report stated.
Tax invoice books bearing the name of the contracting company were also found in his possession.
“These bills had the number plates of vehicles transporting fuel and also the value of diesel purchased by him over a period of time,” the report stated. It added that receipts obtained linked the station’s employee to the supply of fuel to a company which is alleged to be linked to a vessel which was also under question by the investigators.
In its summary of findings involving the Point Fortin station, investigators found that between August and October 2011, the station sold approximately 113,712 litres more diesel than it purchased from NP. It also found that the service station was in breach of Part II and III of the Petroleum Act 62:01 and Article 13.1 of the NP Sale of Motor Fuels and NP supplied Products Agreement.
The report also pointed to two vessels which were under surveillance by the Police Service on August 29-30 at National Fisheries, Sea Lots.
It was alleged that the non-functional vessels Mary K (Papa K) and Sea Swan were being used to store fuel. According to the report, the Mary K was trading under two different names and was not in compliance with the authorised diesel quotas for vessels.
In November 2012, another gas station in Fyzabad was shut down after allegedly carrying out illegal activities and investigators found that the station was in breach of the Motor Fuel Supply Agreement between NP and Dealer as well as breaching the Petroleum Act and Bureau of Standards rules.
Also in November 2012, at King’s Wharf, San Fernando, another station was shut down for also being allegedly involved in the illegal trade.
A deportee from the United States with close links to a company which bought a vessel from the US is also alleged to be “aiding and abetting” the illegal sale of diesel to trawlers and to the other islands.
Investigators have linked three employees from Trinmar, one of whom is also a private businessman.
Another operator, who has multiple addresses, including Maracas, St Joseph and Freeport is reputed to be a big player “across the Caribbean” and investigators have detected “multiple property transactions”.
One of the companies, with which he is linked, has approximately “$150,000 per month passing through this company’s account”, the report stated, adding that it appeared as if this major player “incorporated his limited liability company to avoid recovery action in favour of EximBank in the amount of $1.8 million”. Investigations into the company “are ongoing”.
According to the report a relative of this major player, was arrested in 2012 in connection with illegal bunkering and charged for attempting to export 42,642 litres of diesel fuel. He was also charged with knowingly attempting to evade the Customs and Excise Act as it related to receiving the fuel and is currently before the court.
Other investigations reveal that another key figure from San Fernando was linked to a number of businesses which are used as storage sites to conduct their illegal trade.
“Financial information is that he has $1 million in an investment fund. He has a checking account totalling $160,000 and also holds three MasterCards,” the report stated.
It added that this operator is linked to a close relative who has 18 front companies, registered in her name and who “also uses Internet banking facilities to transfer and receive monies to a local account”.
Financial surveillance of this account has detected transactions which can be described as “covert banking transactions, synonymous with drug trafficking networks”, the report warned. Investigations are also ongoing into this dealer.
The report also indicated that on October 22, 2011, the AMS Diver vessel operating as a floating gas station for Trinmar Operations, Petrotrin was allegedly involved in a fuel transfer incident to an unauthorised vessel in Trinmar waters off south Trinidad and the vessel and its crew were immediately suspended from operating within Petrotrin waters.
It also added that another vessel, Nadine M, which was ultimately responsible for the distribution of fuel within Trinmar Operations could not account for 865,756 litres of diesel valued at $2,322,441.85 over the four-year audited period. The company has since gone into receivership but another has since been created.
The report also noted that some of the main operators have criminal backgrounds and possess “a huge arsenal of weapons from sniper weapons to fully automatic AK-47s and grenades”.
It also listed some 30 names of boats given by informants allegedly involved in the illegal trade, which “allegedly take fuel at Power Boats and National Fisheries and sell down the islands and are used as bunkering vessels for other boats”.
The report is calling on the Energy Minister to establish a “team to investigate the illegal sale of diesel within Trinidad and Tobago in order to reduce the subsidy being paid by the government which now stands at approximately $4 billion per annum”.
It also recommended that a team of investigators be established to include a certified fraud examiner, as well as Customs officials, the police, the Petrotrin audit department, NP’s audit department, an attorney-at-law, a private investigator as well as Ministry of Energy officials.
It was only last Friday that the Express made reference to this very report, which fingered a notorious gang leader (who is alleged to be a police informant) as being responsible for the firebombing of the Valsayn home of NP chairman Neil Gosine on Carnival Monday.
The article headlined “Gang leader responsible” also noted that he is reputed to be involved in the illegal fuel trade.
The article noted that chairman Gosine had declared war on the illegal trade and the attack on him by the gang leader could have been as a result of this.
It quoted Energy Minister Ramnarine as saying that he had seen the report and had “since passed it on to the Minister of National Security, Emmanuel George, for his attention”.
Calls to George’s phone also went unanswered yesterday.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Die ... 23621.html
zoom rader wrote:You all mean to say that this fuel racket was going on when PNM was is power and they did nothing about it. Now them same operators crying foul.
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