The TT$1 Billion abandoned Water Recycling Plant

[zoom rader]

Many UNC top position holders would like to increase their net worth from 500mil to 1 billion so vote for them and they will fix the issues and put us back on track.

Who are these ppl that you speak of

[agent007]

I'll leave name calling for investigative journalists to call cause dem have court clothes and endless financing.

[Melchizedek]

[pugboy]

Talk to kamala

[brams112]

Can't let the 1% use clean sewer water people.

[The_Honourable]

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?

LALLA’S PANAMA PROPERTIES FOUND

How one man took US$121m (originally earmarked for a taxpayer-funded climate change impact-reducing wastewater plant), left the project, flew off to Panama, bought million-dollar properties, and now hides behind lawyers, after setting up companies and trust funds for himself, his new wife and his children.


In one of the worst alleged white-collar heists perpetrated on the government and people of T&T of a sum totalling US$121 million, for what would have been a climate change impact-reducing wastewater recycling project is gone, according to a National Security ministerial statement made to the T&T Parliament.

The state-owned National Gas Company of T&T (NGC) awarded a contract to Super Industrial Services Ltd. (SIS) for the Design and Build of the Beetham Water Recycling Plant, together with the associated pipelines and water storage facilities, the statement said.

Lalla’s SIS did not finish even half of the job, 40-45%, when it stopped work on the project, after the government changed following the 2015 parliamentary elections. Lalla allegedly fled to Panama having been paid over 75% of the money by the then ousted Administration, the United National Congress (UNC).

The matter is now before the courts, pending a decision, that would then be followed by arbitration. In the High Court of T&T, the State is attempting to freeze SIS assets, in the event it wins the subsequent arbitration of the SIS-National Gas Company (NGC) dispute. The court case is sub judice and the arbitration is in camera, so both Lalla’s and the State’s attorneys declined comment when contacted in December. It is unknown exactly when the decision will be given because the T&T High Court uses an archaic notice-board system to advise attorneys the evening before judgment is delivered.

In the SIS-NGC dispute, the NGC is seeking to recover money from SIS for work not done on the water recycling plant.

In court, former T&T Attorney General (AG), Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj is representing the company blocking the State from freezing Lalla’s assets in T&T. However, Panama Public Registry records show, he has already done a lot more than just that for Lalla.


Beetham Water Recycling Plant Photo: Stephen Broadbridge/ga.water.usgs.gov

Findings

Following the money in the alleged cross-border corruption, money laundering and organised crime plan, Connectas in November in Panama City, Panama, uncovered that:

(1) Krishna Siew Lalla, the contractor, and founder of SIS, acquired at least four high-value properties since flying to Panama. They have an estimated combined value in excess of US$4.3 million.

(2) Lalla now presides over and/or directs a web of at least four companies, and eight Trust Fund-like foundations in Panama.

(3) He established a pattern of acquiring, post-transaction(s), mortgage-taking and/or money-lending companies, not initially formed in his name. In the pattern his attorneys and their acquaintances form the companies, do their transactions, and then are transferred to Lalla, Panama Public Registry documents show.

(4) Maharaj, the former AG, and wife, Lynette, appear to have helped the embattled contractor move company money across at least two international borders. Repeated calls and messages to Maharaj seeking comment remained unanswered. This was only after the first call to him was successfully connected though. Once he heard the nature of the query, he said he had to go because he was in court. He has not returned repeated calls since nor messages left with his staff. He has, however, been very vocal on other media on other matters, including a sedition case, as recently as January 14, 2020.

Ably assisted by a former AG

The former AG during the UNC’s first Administration, Maharaj and his wife Lynette appear in Panama Public Registry documents as the founding directors, president and secretary, respectively, of a multi-purpose mortgage-taking company called South OLT S.A. registered September 14, 2016.

To incorporate South OLT S.A., Maharaj and his wife, used their 78B London Street, St. Joseph Village, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago home address. Maharaj and his wife used law firm Castañon & Francis of Via Italia, Paitilla, Panama City, the same law firm Lalla used to register three other companies and three of his eight foundations.

Less than a year after registering South OLT S.A., on June 2, 2017, Lalla took over as South OLT S.A.’s new president, and Davy Sookhoo, as its new secretary.

Maharaj is also the attorney for a company called Rain Forest Resorts, which is the company now preventing the State from freezing Lalla’s SIS T&T assets. Coincidentally, or not, a legally separate company registered in Panama, Rainforest Corporation, is stated in Panama Public Registry documents as linked to Centro Comercial Albrook Gardens, next door to the gated community where Lalla lives in Panama.

(See Attached Image Below)

Little known to T&T, though, the Beetham Water Recycling Plant contractor, Lalla, is resident in Panama as a Canadian passport-bearing citizen.

He holds at least three other companies besides South OLT S.A. In some of his companies and foundations, he is a controlling director. In others he is also the founder, the president and/or the treasurer.

Though Maharaj was the founding president of South OLT S.A., it, like, several other companies with similar remits, ended up transferred to Lalla, consistent with a pattern detected and explained below.

Shortly after Lalla took over South OLT S.A. from Maharaj, on September 22, 2017, the company acquired Piso 1400 Terrazas del Parque, a 14th-floor apartment overlooking one of the most prestigious golf courses in Panama City for US$240,000 from Elia Auxiliadora Gomez Figueroa, according to the purchase agreement.

Today, however, based on OLX real estate agency listings of lower-floor apartments in the same building, the property in the high-end residential neighborhood is estimated to be worth at least US$375,000.

The first company registered in Panama that now belongs to Lalla was Tenbel S.A. It was initially registered on February 18, 2008, in the names of an ‘office worker’ called Luis Alberto Rodriguez, and a secretary named Barbara de Rodriguez.

The ‘office worker’ appears to be extremely entrepreneurial, however. Deeper checks into the registry show he has registered 11,090 companies, and is listed as a director linked to 14,286 companies as of January 2020.

Similarly, Barbara de Rodriguez, the ‘secretary’, appears to be extremely entrepreneurial, having herself registered at least 4,340 companies, and is a director on the boards of 5,601 companies.

As with Tenbel, their law firm of choice, for many of their companies, was Arias Fabrega and Fabrega. Tenbel was later handed over to Lalla and Sookhoo, as president and secretary respectively, via transfer documents entered into the Public Registry on October 24, 2016.

Tenbel now owns a first-floor apartment in the banking district of Panama city. Apartment 1-A on the first floor of Edificio Macondo, in Bella Vista, Panama City is estimated to be worth US$320,000 based on listings of similar apartments in the same building on Compreoalquile.com real estate website.

The second oldest company now in Lalla’s name, was initially registered on July 19, 2010. This company, called Drawing Outsource Inc., also started off in the names of two Panamanians: Cesar Degracia and Kathyel Ferguson.

Like Rodriguez, Degracia is a super busy founder and director of many companies, 287 up to December 2019. Likewise, Ferguson is a director linked to 342 companies. Tanya Coronado, appeared to be one of their most frequently used attorneys for this type of transaction.

Ferguson and Degracia are still on the board of directors of Drawing Outsource but Lalla and Sookhoo replaced them as the new president and secretary respectively.

Drawing Outsource Inc. owns a fourth-floor apartment around the corner from Tenbel S.A.’s, in the banking district. The apartment, on the fourth floor of Edificio Arcelia in Bella Vista, Panama City, based on nearby comparable real estate listings, for its size, is worth at least US$100,000. At 914 square feet, it is the smallest of Lalla’s seeable properties in Panama.


House 112 in Albrook Gardens


Apartment in Arcelia building, Bella Vista


Apartment in Macondo building, Bella Vista


PH Plaza Obarrio


Apartment in Terrazas del Parque

Chronologically, the next company created was South OLT S.A., formed initially by former AG Maharaj, and as said above, followed the same pattern of being held by someone else before being passed on to Lalla.

On December 16, 2016, Lalla’s legal agent submitted to the Panama Public Registry the articles of incorporation for a fourth company in Lalla’s name. Phoenix Welding and Fabricating Ltd started with an authorised capital of US$10,000. Lalla was its first president and treasurer but exited on July 30, 2018. Now only Sookhoo, and another person from Lalla’s household, Banistmo Relationship Manager Boris Lenin Correa Cedeño are company directors. Banistmo is a Panama-based bank owned by HSBC.

Correa Cedeño is listed in the Panama Public Registry as residing at Casa 112, Albrook Gardens, Ancon, Panama City with Sookhoo, and two others: Krishna Siew Lalla and Lincoln Kiran Lalla.

The gated community of Albrook Gardens denied Connectas entry to photograph Lalla’s house. However, Panama-based OLX real estate agency estimated the house, nestled among diplomatic residences including the Vatican’s, is worth no less than US$1 million.

Plaza Obarrio - an office for all

Phoenix Welding and Fabricating Ltd was the first of Lalla’s companies to tell the Panama Public Registry it is domiciled at PH Plaza Obarrio, Apartamento 209, Bella Vista, Panama. Its purpose, according to registration documents, is to buy and sell receivables and services.

Plaza Obarrio then became the site for the subsequent registration of three foundations though none of them are in the limited signage at Plaza Obarrio. The law firm Castañon & Francis registered the three foundations, one on June 19 and two on June 20, 2017. The registration of these three foundations also marked the end of company registrations and the beginning of only foundation registrations.

The names of the foundations are counter-intuitive, all with a mix of letters and numbers, making them foundations not easily found. Two of them do, however, appear to bear the initials of Lincoln Kiran Lalla and Terrence Junior Lalla (son), and among their purposes is to pay for the education and maintenance of persons the directors name.

On June 19, 2017, Lalla formed the RAJ0106L Foundation with an authorised capital of US$10,000. The registration document identifies Krishna Siew Lalla as a married Canadian man resident at Albrook Gardens, Calle Redwood, Casa 112, Ancon, Panama with a Panama government-issued identification card.

The purpose of this foundation is the administration of its own patrimony “for the exclusive benefit of its beneficiaries.” To achieve its objectives, the foundation invests “its heritage” by buying shares and making deposits in banks and other places. A Panamanian lady called Panama Osirys Puertas Cedeño is on the council of the foundation with Davy Sookhoo and Krishna Lalla. Puertas Cedeño is said in the foundation’s registration documents to be domiciled at the Plaza Obarrio Office 209 while Lalla and Sookoo are registered to be residents at Albrook Gardens.

On June 20, 2017, Lalla registered another foundation. The RAV0109L Foundation has the same objectives and council members as the one registered the day before. This foundation, however, owns an estate on prime land in Panama City. Lote A.P.4-5, in the Jose Domingo Espinar area in San Miguelito district of Panama City, and is estimated by OLX to be worth US$2,519,400 as it measures 28,545.89 square feet.

On June 20, 2017, Lalla registered a third foundation. The AZ1210L Foundation has the same characteristics, objectives and council members as the ones registered the same day and the day before.

On September 21, 2018, another law firm, Corporate Solution YP & Co. registered four more foundations for Lalla. The objective of the foundations, according to the registration documents, were to pay for the education, formation, equipping, assistance and general maintenance of several members of one or several families.

Home-based foundations

These four foundations are all domiciled in the residential, gated community of Albrook Gardens, house number 112. The first foundation, the LKL070282L Foundation was officially created by Lincoln Kiran Lalla. On its council are Krishna Lalla, as president and treasurer, and Davy Sookhoo as secretary.

Next was the AL 1801L Foundation which differs from the previous as Boris Lenin Correa Cedeño joined Lalla and Sookhoo on its council. This foundation is domiciled at their home at Albrook Gardens but can move, according to its registration documents, to any other part of Panama, or to any other country at any time.

Yet another foundation created on September 21, 2018 and that was the TL2312L Foundation with the same council members as the AL 1801L Foundation.

Fourth is the LL0702L Foundation, again, with the same council members.

The next year, on July 16, 2019, a different attorney, Gabriel Antonio Montenegro Gonzalez registered the Fundacion TAW18L Foundation for Lalla. This foundation has the same three council members, Lalla, Sookhoo and Correa Cedeño but is domiciled at Office 209, Plaza Obarrio, instead of at Lalla’s home at Albrook Gardens. It is the only foundation on which Terrence Junior Lalla has power of attorney, is a board member and treasurer. Krishna Lalla remains, however, as the founder and president.

Persons encountered on the Connectas trip to Panama exhibited a behaviour uncommon and uncharacteristic of friends, acquaintances and staff of the rich: Nobody proudly acknowledged knowing Lalla. Instead, questions were responded to with questions, such as, “How did you get this number?!”

Back in T&T both before and after the trip, people like Member of Parliament Dr. Roodal Moonillal, who boasted about his knowledge of Lalla and the SIS in Parliament on October 9, 2018, sidestepped a request to pass a message onto him. When contacted on his mobile phone, Moonilal took a full day to respond only that he was not in contact with Lalla, and that he had passed the message on to someone who might be.

Source: https://www.connectas.org/especiales/la ... panama/en/

[K74T]

CROOKS

[hydroep]

WTF...

[De Dragon]

Jail for the guilty. Unfortunately this type of white collar crime is extremely hard to prosecute, but hey Johnny O' Halloran's estate was successfully sued and money and a property awarded to the NAR in the 80's, but then again, Calder Hart did the same shell company racket and he was allowed to go scot free so the political will has to be there, and I suspect Arse-Wari is salivating all over his tight shirt in anticipation.

[VII]

Sickening ...

A lot more like him right here spending free money in the hundreds of millions and idiots like we admiring dey cars etc lol..

Listen I man got into a lil million or two difficulty a few years ago,usual govt associated non payment etc caused a lil domino effect with my lil finances and personal arrangements and was judged and castigated by my peers ,including many here under low...weddings that I was invited to I no longer qualified,friends that I was generous to I no longer had..

I persisted and closed a deal cumulatively worth over a hundred million under low in 2015 with no help no favors,just on merit,well we started with a section for 6 million with partial initial payments we completed it only to face similar issues as the incoming govt and the main contractor had a dispute and they left,so yet again we got set back and yet to recover,I continued to beat up myself and continued to be ridiculed all in the name of honest business and honest setbacks,no one cared to know the truth,they made their judgements, I just have a feeling the same people will admire this Lalla fella..

Well no more beating up myself and depriving my family,life too short and general morals too low to let others dictate your life.

Every major contractor in this country has a major secret,from falsifying test results to invoicing and collecting on false works to the point where the majority of their undertakings are dishonest scandalous and deceitful...

But yours truly continued living with a lump in his belly for some honest set backs..

These people have no shame..I prefer live in a shed and work my way up and out than to be a sly savvy pig in a suit with no conscience stealing from a country that has been so good to them..

[De Dragon]

Sickening ...

A lot more like him right here spending free money in the hundreds of millions and idiots like we admiring dey cars etc lol..

Listen I man got into a lil million or two difficulty a few years ago,usual govt associated non payment etc caused a lil domino effect with my lil finances and personal arrangements and was judged and castigated by my peers ,including many here under low...weddings that I was invited to I no longer qualified,friends that I was generous too I no longer had..

I persisted and closed a deal worth over a hundred million under low in 2015 with no help no favors,just on merit,well we started with a section for 6 million with partial initial payments we completed it only to face similar issues as the incoming govt and the main contractor had a dispute and they left,so yet again we got set back and yet to recover,I continued to beat up myself and continued to be ridiculed all in the name of honest business and honest setbacks,no one cared to know the truth,they made their judgements, I just have a feeling the same people will admire this Lalla fella..

Well no more beating up myself and depriving my family,life too short and general morals too low to let others dictate your life.

Every major contractor in this country has a major secret,from falsifying test results to invoicing and collecting on false works to the point where the majority of their undertakings are dishonest scandalous and deceitful...

But yours truly continued living with a lump in his belly for some honest set backs..

These people have no shame..I prefer live in a shed and work my way up and out than to be a sly savvy pig in a suit with no conscience stealing from a country that has been so good to them..

The thing is Lalla started off good with Proman in the early 90's, getting in not only the bulk of the construction works, but the turnarounds, and supplying of nested labour afterwards. Not bad for a small time contractor, but I guess when that $$ start to roll in, insatiable greed tends to roll up right along with it.

[VII]

Sickening ...

A lot more like him right here spending free money in the hundreds of millions and idiots like we admiring dey cars etc lol..

Listen I man got into a lil million or two difficulty a few years ago,usual govt associated non payment etc caused a lil domino effect with my lil finances and personal arrangements and was judged and castigated by my peers ,including many here under low...weddings that I was invited to I no longer qualified,friends that I was generous too I no longer had..

I persisted and closed a deal cumulatively worth over a hundred million under low in 2015 with no help no favors,just on merit,well we started with a section for 6 million with partial initial payments we completed it only to face similar issues as the incoming govt and the main contractor had a dispute and they left,so yet again we got set back and yet to recover,I continued to beat up myself and continued to be ridiculed all in the name of honest business and honest setbacks,no one cared to know the truth,they made their judgements, I just have a feeling the same people will admire this Lalla fella..

Well no more beating up myself and depriving my family,life too short and general morals too low to let others dictate your life.

Every major contractor in this country has a major secret,from falsifying test results to invoicing and collecting on false works to the point where the majority of their undertakings are dishonest scandalous and deceitful...

But yours truly continued living with a lump in his belly for some honest set backs..

These people have no shame..I prefer live in a shed and work my way up and out than to be a sly savvy pig in a suit with no conscience stealing from a country that has been so good to them..

He surprised me,sold him block machine and self loading mixer in 1999,he just came and asked me the price and made me a cheque and that was that...one of my smoothest sales of anything ever...always admired him after that...

Makes sense...

I think his is a case of being corrupted by politicians rather than him corrupting politicians..

[Gladiator]

Yeah bro... but the good guys always finish last. The lazy corrupt ones are the ones who always get the easy way out with their pockets full and their families live in the mansions and drive the AMG Mercedes.

Sickening ...

A lot more like him right here spending free money in the hundreds of millions and idiots like we admiring dey cars etc lol..

Listen I man got into a lil million or two difficulty a few years ago,usual govt associated non payment etc caused a lil domino effect with my lil finances and personal arrangements and was judged and castigated by my peers ,including many here under low...weddings that I was invited to I no longer qualified,friends that I was generous to I no longer had..

I persisted and closed a deal cumulatively worth over a hundred million under low in 2015 with no help no favors,just on merit,well we started with a section for 6 million with partial initial payments we completed it only to face similar issues as the incoming govt and the main contractor had a dispute and they left,so yet again we got set back and yet to recover,I continued to beat up myself and continued to be ridiculed all in the name of honest business and honest setbacks,no one cared to know the truth,they made their judgements, I just have a feeling the same people will admire this Lalla fella..

Well no more beating up myself and depriving my family,life too short and general morals too low to let others dictate your life.

Every major contractor in this country has a major secret,from falsifying test results to invoicing and collecting on false works to the point where the majority of their undertakings are dishonest scandalous and deceitful...

But yours truly continued living with a lump in his belly for some honest set backs..

These people have no shame..I prefer live in a shed and work my way up and out than to be a sly savvy pig in a suit with no conscience stealing from a country that has been so good to them..

[rspann]

The lawsuit said NGC spent $780m , was any of that design ,drawings and other work ? He completed 45% of the work so he get $400m just so? He couldn't have done that without help from somewhere.

[VII]

Yeah bro... but the good guys always finish last. The lazy corrupt ones are the ones who always get the easy way out with their pockets full and their families live in the mansions and drive the AMG Mercedes.

Sickening ...

A lot more like him right here spending free money in the hundreds of millions and idiots like we admiring dey cars etc lol..

Listen I man got into a lil million or two difficulty a few years ago,usual govt associated non payment etc caused a lil domino effect with my lil finances and personal arrangements and was judged and castigated by my peers ,including many here under low...weddings that I was invited to I no longer qualified,friends that I was generous to I no longer had..

I persisted and closed a deal cumulatively worth over a hundred million under low in 2015 with no help no favors,just on merit,well we started with a section for 6 million with partial initial payments we completed it only to face similar issues as the incoming govt and the main contractor had a dispute and they left,so yet again we got set back and yet to recover,I continued to beat up myself and continued to be ridiculed all in the name of honest business and honest setbacks,no one cared to know the truth,they made their judgements, I just have a feeling the same people will admire this Lalla fella..

Well no more beating up myself and depriving my family,life too short and general morals too low to let others dictate your life.

Every major contractor in this country has a major secret,from falsifying test results to invoicing and collecting on false works to the point where the majority of their undertakings are dishonest scandalous and deceitful...

But yours truly continued living with a lump in his belly for some honest set backs..

These people have no shame..I prefer live in a shed and work my way up and out than to be a sly savvy pig in a suit with no conscience stealing from a country that has been so good to them..

Wife have no car a few years now and I refused to even take out a lil easy to acquire new unit because I thought we don't deserve it and at the same time hurting my business prospects having to lock off at 230 to go pick up kids etc..and then the kids themselves were falling back in their lesson, sports and other activities,and family needs relating to vehicle availility became trivial and took a backseat just not to be judged further by people and maintain some kinda morals I thought..

Damn if you do,damn if you don't...think I'm heading by Lifestyle tomorrow.

[pugboy]

ent he started the inflated mobilization fee bobol

but tbh he not a good tief if he have to runaway from his country
a good tief doh live like that

[VII]

ent he started the inflated mobilization fee bobol

but tbh he not a good tief if he have to runaway from his country
a good tief doh live like that

Bingo!!

We even admire some ah dem and dey cars here!!

Some ah we does even buff out some ah dem car an ting..lol..

[rspann]

ent he started the inflated mobilization fee bobol

but tbh he not a good tief if he have to runaway from his country
a good tief doh live like that

A good tief woulda build building and rent to the government.

[rspann]

Man get me worried when he say he going by Simpsons tomorrow. Good thing he change it to Lifestyle.

[pugboy]

and still able to show he face in public and ting

he is a low life tief

ent he started the inflated mobilization fee bobol

but tbh he not a good tief if he have to runaway from his country
a good tief doh live like that

A good tief woulda build building and rent to the government.

[VII]

Man get me worried when he say he going by Simpsons tomorrow. Good thing he change it to Lifestyle.

Lol dem big shot tief ain know bout Simpson..

[De Dragon]

and still able to show he face in public and ting

he is a low life tief

ent he started the inflated mobilization fee bobol

but tbh he not a good tief if he have to runaway from his country
a good tief doh live like that

A good tief woulda build building and rent to the government.

And getting all kinda title like "Honourable" all while hobnobbing with the elites. What a place!

[rspann]

Man get me worried when he say he going by Simpsons tomorrow. Good thing he change it to Lifestyle.

Lol dem big shot tief ain know bout Simpson..

I thought was the other Simpson , the one who does build casket. I thought they trip you off and you going to buy box for them.

[dredman1]

https://www.facebook.com/643327059/post ... 524072060/

[Redman]

So like Afra Raymond pointed out.

66% of the petro dollars was stolen etc.
The Airport cost us 1.6B but was valued at 600M.

Same proportion....zero jail time.

Why would a proven model change?

[matr1x]

I am laughing here. Pnm in their entire tenure since independence ranked and raped the treasury. Multiple billions. And they still doing it

[16 cycles]

good movie ^ same panama bobol vibes...

[pugboy]

exactly, nothing gonna change
the system is like that and nobody will rock the boat

just like every election we hear about campaign financing and all kinda reform
a setta bs

the ppl at the top have little real will to change the things that matter

So like Afra Raymond pointed out.

66% of the petro dollars was stolen etc.
The Airport cost us 1.6B but was valued at 600M.

Same proportion....zero jail time.

Why would a proven model change?

[Dizzy28]

A project no one talks about and have to be one of this country's largest megaprojects is the Tamana Intech Park at Wallerfield. I'm certain it has crossed two billion in lifetime costs so far and has no companies there except one foreign call centre.

We are a nation cursed with poor leadership that lacks real vision and foresight (as well as the fact they basically all crooks there to fill theirs and thier family pockets)

And SIS was the first contractor on the Tamana project, hired under PNM so he is an equal opportunity contractor.

[VexXx Dogg]

A project no one talks about and have to be one of this country's largest megaprojects is the Tamana Intech Park at Wallerfield. I'm certain it has crossed two billion in lifetime costs so far and has no companies there except one foreign call centre.

We are a nation cursed with poor leadership that lacks real vision and foresight (as well as the fact they basically all crooks there to fill theirs and thier family pockets)

And SIS was the first contractor on the Tamana project, hired under PNM so he is an equal opportunity contractor.

Equal Opportunity Bobol!