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*****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

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De Dragon
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby De Dragon » May 31st, 2020, 11:47 am

If Barry Padarath is found guilty of something illegal, or unethical, then he has to face the full brunt of the law. Like Marlene, any evidence will find its way to the relevant persons for examination and action.

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby zoom rader » May 31st, 2020, 11:49 am

mero wrote:Lol zoom fighting for black rights in one ched but wants all UNC accusing reports censored.

Zoom love Barry too bad yes.
I prefer your momma bro

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby zoom rader » May 31st, 2020, 11:50 am

Redman wrote:
zoom rader wrote:
j.o.e wrote:https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/query-over-3m-account/article_e3f935d6-a2e1-11ea-98b7-13a9a1f66a74.html


A WOMAN dear to Princes Town Member of Parliament Barry Padarath is being investigated by police in connection with a bank account with close to $3 million in deposits.

A Sunday Express investigation which commenced last year has revealed that the personal account of the close relative, who is a housewife, was reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit of T&T (FIU) by a banking institution.

An intelligence report was then prepared by the FIU and submitted to the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to conduct an investigation.

The FIU does not have investigative powers.

A criminal investigation has since been launched into the source of the money and officers have compiled a list of contractors who they believe could assist in their investigations.

The Sunday Express has confirmed that police officers have visited the Office of the Prime Minister for material that could possibly help them during the period Padarath (B) was employed by then-prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as her adviser.

While employed in that position, Padarath’s job specifications included assisting the PM with the planning and organising of policy and other related duties.

He received a salary of $18,000 a month, plus a $2,500 transport allowance.
Yeah and?

Sounds like a move to hype up PNM idiots just like they did with voter padding and Cocaine and bombs in a water tank.

If other can't see this as harassment then they real idiots


Of course this is also when the Office of the Prime Minister had it's hand in box drain contract.
So where is Elite hands ?

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby eliteauto » May 31st, 2020, 11:57 am

zoom rader wrote:
Redman wrote:
zoom rader wrote:
j.o.e wrote:https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/query-over-3m-account/article_e3f935d6-a2e1-11ea-98b7-13a9a1f66a74.html


A WOMAN dear to Princes Town Member of Parliament Barry Padarath is being investigated by police in connection with a bank account with close to $3 million in deposits.

A Sunday Express investigation which commenced last year has revealed that the personal account of the close relative, who is a housewife, was reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit of T&T (FIU) by a banking institution.

An intelligence report was then prepared by the FIU and submitted to the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to conduct an investigation.

The FIU does not have investigative powers.

A criminal investigation has since been launched into the source of the money and officers have compiled a list of contractors who they believe could assist in their investigations.

The Sunday Express has confirmed that police officers have visited the Office of the Prime Minister for material that could possibly help them during the period Padarath (B) was employed by then-prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as her adviser.

While employed in that position, Padarath’s job specifications included assisting the PM with the planning and organising of policy and other related duties.

He received a salary of $18,000 a month, plus a $2,500 transport allowance.
Yeah and?

Sounds like a move to hype up PNM idiots just like they did with voter padding and Cocaine and bombs in a water tank.

If other can't see this as harassment then they real idiots


Of course this is also when the Office of the Prime Minister had it's hand in box drain contract.
So where is Elite hands ?

around your momma

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby mero » May 31st, 2020, 11:58 am

zoom rader wrote:
mero wrote:Lol zoom fighting for black rights in one ched but wants all UNC accusing reports censored.

Zoom love Barry too bad yes.
I prefer your momma bro


Lol look how the tough guy with d long ponytail lashing out at everybody today for he boy barry nuh..

You miss him tugging it don't ya.

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby zoom rader » May 31st, 2020, 11:58 am

eliteauto wrote:
zoom rader wrote:
Redman wrote:
zoom rader wrote:
j.o.e wrote:https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/query-over-3m-account/article_e3f935d6-a2e1-11ea-98b7-13a9a1f66a74.html


A WOMAN dear to Princes Town Member of Parliament Barry Padarath is being investigated by police in connection with a bank account with close to $3 million in deposits.

A Sunday Express investigation which commenced last year has revealed that the personal account of the close relative, who is a housewife, was reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit of T&T (FIU) by a banking institution.

An intelligence report was then prepared by the FIU and submitted to the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to conduct an investigation.

The FIU does not have investigative powers.

A criminal investigation has since been launched into the source of the money and officers have compiled a list of contractors who they believe could assist in their investigations.

The Sunday Express has confirmed that police officers have visited the Office of the Prime Minister for material that could possibly help them during the period Padarath (B) was employed by then-prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as her adviser.

While employed in that position, Padarath’s job specifications included assisting the PM with the planning and organising of policy and other related duties.

He received a salary of $18,000 a month, plus a $2,500 transport allowance.
Yeah and?

Sounds like a move to hype up PNM idiots just like they did with voter padding and Cocaine and bombs in a water tank.

If other can't see this as harassment then they real idiots


Of course this is also when the Office of the Prime Minister had it's hand in box drain contract.
So where is Elite hands ?

around your momma


Yuh 10million safe, buses have to clean

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mero
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby mero » May 31st, 2020, 12:10 pm

eliteauto wrote:
zoom rader wrote:
Redman wrote:
zoom rader wrote:
j.o.e wrote:https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/query-over-3m-account/article_e3f935d6-a2e1-11ea-98b7-13a9a1f66a74.html


A WOMAN dear to Princes Town Member of Parliament Barry Padarath is being investigated by police in connection with a bank account with close to $3 million in deposits.

A Sunday Express investigation which commenced last year has revealed that the personal account of the close relative, who is a housewife, was reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit of T&T (FIU) by a banking institution.

An intelligence report was then prepared by the FIU and submitted to the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to conduct an investigation.

The FIU does not have investigative powers.

A criminal investigation has since been launched into the source of the money and officers have compiled a list of contractors who they believe could assist in their investigations.

The Sunday Express has confirmed that police officers have visited the Office of the Prime Minister for material that could possibly help them during the period Padarath (B) was employed by then-prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as her adviser.

While employed in that position, Padarath’s job specifications included assisting the PM with the planning and organising of policy and other related duties.

He received a salary of $18,000 a month, plus a $2,500 transport allowance.
Yeah and?

Sounds like a move to hype up PNM idiots just like they did with voter padding and Cocaine and bombs in a water tank.

If other can't see this as harassment then they real idiots


Of course this is also when the Office of the Prime Minister had it's hand in box drain contract.
So where is Elite hands ?

around your momma
Some big hands dey boy

bluefete
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby bluefete » May 28th, 2023, 5:31 pm

https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/ ... 59f63.html

MASSIVE CORRUPTION
20 years later: Piarco airport commission of enquiry report finally unwrapped...

Ria Taitt 12 hrs ago

It has remained under wraps for two decades.

The Sunday Express has however obtained a copy of the report of the commission of enquiry into the Piarco Airport Development Project, a subject which has poi­soned the political bloodstream of Trinidad and Tobago with allegations of corruption on a grand scale and counter-­allegations of political witch-hunting.

Image
No direct evidence against former PM: Basdeo Panday (But he knew corruption was happening)

The report of the commission of enquiry, which examined the project from April 2002 to August 2003, found “serious breaches, inclu­ding acts of massive corruption, greed, conflicts of interest, inequality of treatment, favouritism, gross misconduct, irregularities, improprieties and mismanagement by many, including ministers of the former (UNC) administration”.

The report, which was never laid in Parliament, named top government officials and businessmen as the key players in the “scandalous affair” who “plotted to defraud the State through the $1.6 billion Piarco Airport Development Project”.

The report however had high praise for only one member of the Basdeo Panday cabinet—Jearlean John.

Image
convincing, helpful and effective witness’:Jearlean John

It condemned the behaviour of two other high-ranking government officials, and while critical of former minister of housing and settlements John Humphrey, it absolved him of any link to corruption.

For the head of the government, Basdeo Pan­day, the commission was ambivalent, likening him to Roman emperor Nero.

The project, which started at an anticipa­ted construction cost of $662 million, ended up at $1.6 billion, a one-billion-dollar cost overrun.

According to the re­port, it was a top govern­ment official who changed the funding arrangements from build-­operate-transfer (BOT) to general borrowing financed by the government, which Cabinet agreed to on his advice.

The project was given “an open cheque book”. The report said six loans were raised from local and foreign banks, totalling $1.54 billion.

The estimated total repayment on these, together with interest and charges over the 20-year period, amounted to $3.55 billion.

Panday fiddled while airport burned

The commission found no direct evidence that then-Prime Minister Basdeo Panday was a party to the scandalous events swirling under his administration.

However, it found that despite public outcries and verbal complaints made to him (Panday) by Nipdec (National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd) general manager Noel Garcia and Nipdec director Francis Mungroo about what was going on with the airport project, Panday, “like Roman emperor Nero, stood there and fiddled during this unsavoury affair”.

The report added: “It was not until Jearlean John, a latecomer to the project, saw and reported to him (Panday) about the ‘greed and insanity’ (her words) that were operating at the Project that he was bestirred.

“According to Ms John, she had told Mr Panday exactly this. She claimed that he responded by telling her that he was aware that there was a ‘feeding frenzy’ and a ‘milch cow’ in ope­ration on the project. He then promised to abolish the Inter-Ministerial Committee....He later followed up on his promise...and abolished this Committee....We construe the words (of Panday) ‘feeding frenzy’ and ‘milching of the cow’ to mean that the then Prime Minister seemed to be aware that considerable improprieties were taking place on this project.... One must wonder why...did he not intervene earlier,” the commission said.

The commission acknowledged that before its rebuilding, citizens had expressed shame at the obsolete terminal facility and “empathised” with the idea of a new terminal building and associated facilities. But what they ended up getting was a facility which professionals said was “outrageously expensive, inadequate in its design and construction quality.... Parameters of quality, cost and delive­ry time...showed that this Project had failed on every count”.

Grateful for Jearlean

Perhaps the greatest plaudits went to Jearlean John, who replaced Sadiq Baksh as minister of works and transport “late in the day”, who turned out to be “a very convincing, helpful and effective witness”, to whom the commission was “most grateful”.

John said she expressed her disappro­val of the manipulation which “she discovered had been the order of the day on this Project”, and she ordered that any future works should be made open to public tender. She said she attended only one meeting of the ad hoc ministerial committee chaired by John Humphrey, which comprised ministers and public officials, and stated that on this one and only appearance “she was an unwelcome guest”.

“According to her, she was not at all happy about what had transpi­red at the meeting; so after this meeting she and then Finance Minister Gerald Yetming (who at the time had replaced minister Brian Kuei Tung), who also attended, had decided not to take any further part in the deliberations of this body again.... She never did thereafter”.

She then took her concerns to Panday. “In the Commission’s opinion, were it not for the resolute determination and firm resolve of this newly appointed Line Minister, the “feeding and milching” would have continued unaba­ted,” the report said.

The commission cited two “admirable instan­ces of John’s industry and steadfastness: a two dog kennel estimated to cost TT$170,000 and a change order in the sum of $20 million for the VIP Lounge” came to her attention and “she struck them down; and ordered that these works be put out to public tender. The awards for these eventually were TT$84,000 and $12 million respectively...resulting in considerable savings to the taxpayer” due to John’s “crucial” intervention. “She summed up the operations at the Project as ‘chaotic’, ‘treacherous’ and ‘scandalous’.”

“Her predecessor, Mr Sadiq Baksh, never for­mally handed over to her. He kept his distance from her, so she returned the compliment. Ms John’s role as Line Minister was in­deed commendable and in this connection, the Commission is of the view that the country owes her a deep and profound sense of gratitude,” the report said.

Humphrey more fool than knave

Humphrey, who ini­tially made “scathing” and “untruthful” allegations” about the president (Robinson), forcing the commission to publish a disclaimer, eventually attended the commission and retracted these statements under oath, and said he was “no longer critical of the Commission”. He then made a public appeal to those who had know­ledge of what went on in the project to come forward “and let us know the truth”.

“The Commission recorded its commendation of Mr Humphrey for his stand...and his forthrightness,” it said.

The report noted however that Humphrey claimed to be the chairman of an ad hoc ministerial committee although secretary to the cabinet, Mrs Leung Woo-Gabriel, testified that cabinet never esta­blished any interministerial committee.

“It would appear from the evidence that Mr Humphrey’s role in all this came about as a result of a letter which he addressed to the chairman of NIPDEC (Edward Bayley) and copied to the Prime Minister”, dated April 8, 1999, expressing his alarm at the progress of the airport terminal project and announcing that there will be monthly meetings from then on with the ministers of housing and settlement (himself), works and transport, finance, and planning and development, also to be attended by stakeholders such as Nipdec, Birk Hillman.

The commission leaned towards the view that Humphrey was never appointed to head any ministerial committee, that he set up this interministerial committee himself “to clean up the mess” ta­king place on the project, as he claimed. “On the evidence as a whole the Commission finds that Mr Humphrey unilaterally and improperly arrogated unto himself powers with which he was not clothed.

“A perfect example is the case where the con­tract had provided for liquidated damages against contractors and his intervention which altered this, to acceleration incentives”, was described by Nipdec manager Margaret Thompson as “a carrot without a (proverbial) stick”.

The report said Sadiq Baksh “never lifted a finger in protest over the usurpation of his portfo­lio. Instead he agreed with all the decisions taken and as such, in our opinion, aided and abetted Mr Humphrey in all that he did”.

Foster father Humphrey

Humphrey, to use his own words, claimed that he became the “Foster Father” of the project when he had gone into the handling of the operations of the project as “Chairman” and “Captain” of this interministerial committee after, he said, he was kept out of the operations of the project “completely” and wanted to “clean up the mess there”.

Humphrey also testified that he was “kept in the dark” about the contract to Calmaquip Engineering, and was hearing for the first time at the commission of enquiry about this contract, a contract which he described was “quite irregular and wrong”. Humphrey said he saw no valid reason why local contractors could not be given this contract. “He did state that, as far as he could recall, this matter was handled by the line Minister, Sadiq Baksh and Kuei Tung...the person who had brought the matter to Cabinet”.

Humphrey said the cabinet had big development plans ahead. He claimed a company to manufacture brake pads for planes was “on the drawing board”, roads and hotel to be constructed in Mayaro, and he proposed the construction of a lake, a golf resort and a five-star hotel on the airport site. “The Commission takes the view that Mr Humphrey was out of step with reality.... The construction of a lake would obviously encourage the infiltration of birds thereto which could certainly be a danger to incoming and outgoing aircraft,” the commission said.

“While Mr Humphrey may well have acted in all these matters with the best of intentions, the Commission considers that his methods of operation were injudicious. We are of the view, however, from all the evidence, that he did not, unlike others, indulge his taste deliberately in chicanery and skulduggery. He was, we feel, one who really wanted to get on with the job and to be in the picture.... In acting as he did, however he fell into error.... The Commission is more inclined to assess Mr Humphrey as more fool than knave,” the report said.

Grand-scale collusion

According to the report, it was essential to those involved in the corruption to place Birk Hillman as the construction manager of this project. But in order to do this, they had to “eliminate” Scott and Associates, a Canadian company and the rival company which the PNM (People’s National Movement) government had previously earmarked for a BOT arrangement to plan, design, manage the project, operate it for 16 years, train local personnel in the interim, and thereafter hand it over to the government.

In this arrangement the financial cost to Scott and Associates “personally, not the T&T taxpayer) was estimated at US$65 million (TT$390 million). The UNC Government killed this plan and established a Task Force to oversee the implementation of the Piarco Development Project and to make recommendations for the award of a Consultancy Contract in connection with this.

“The collusion on a grand scale to bleed the Treasury of this country” began with the establishment of this task force under (name of State enterprise chairman called), “a one time business associate of Birk Hillman”, the commission said. The other members included (name of businessman called) the man who benefited the most from Birk Hillman’s selections of companies awarded contracts under this project.

“On the evidence, it is the opinion of the Commission that the Task Force was, from the inception, cleverly manipulated by (top government official named), along with (a former state enterprise chairman named) and (businessman named) in order to ensure that the recommendation was made to award Birk Hillman Consultants with the consultancy contract for the Airport Development,” the report said.

Both the State enterprise chairman and the businessman were recommended by the top government official for membership of this task force, and they played a critical role in evaluating the proposals of Birk Hillman and rival Scott and Associates for the consultancy contract.

A permanent secretary who was never appointed by Cabinet as a member of this task force, but who attended all the meetings, told the commission that a top government official “had directed him to recommend to the Task Force that it should recommend Birk Hillman Consultants as the Consultant on the Project”. The commission said the permanent secretary acted as a “rubber stamp” for the government official, a key manipulator in the background, and that he (the PS) offered no check and balance.

The commission said, based on all the evidence, oral and documentary, it was “convinced that the machinery of the Task Force...facilitated one of the worst financial scandals ever to occur in this country. The Commission is convinced that, on the evidence as a whole, there was collusion on a grand scale to bleed the Treasury of this country”.

Favouritism to Birk Hillman

The commission concluded that favouritism was shown to Birk Hillman and it started with a government minister’s visit to Birk Hillman’s offices in Miami in August 1996. It produced a letter dated July 30, 1996, from the former minister, written to Panday, in which he was seeking Panday’s permission as PM to visit Birk Hillman Consultants offices.

Birk Hillman, the commission found, had a copy of the tourism master plan, which formed the basis of their proposal, and this privileged knowledge of the tourism master plan was given a lot of weight by the task force. “Therefore Birk Hillman had a march on Scott and Associates” which was at no time supplied with a copy of this Plan.... It follows from all these things not only how Birk Hillman Incorporated could possibly have come into possession of this Tourism Master Plan beforehand but also how they could have been so highly favoured for the job well in advance of the Presentation of its Proposal before the Task Force,” the commission said.

“Scott and Associates was notified about the intention of the Task Force to interview it mere days before the date of its presentation, and it should be noted, after the decision of the Task Force to recommend Birk Hillman Consultants as the preferred designers and managers of the Project,” the report said.

Humphrey told the commission that at the time he was invited to attend the Birk Hillman Consultants Incorporated’s presentation before the task force on the afternoon of October 17, he was unaware that Scott and Associates had made its presentation that morning. At Birk Hillman’s presentation, “a substantial complement of ministers” was present, but no one from the cabinet attended Scott’s presentation. Furthermore, “aggressive” questioning of Scott by (businessman named) sought to “attack” and to “undermine” his competence. David Scott, in his testimony to the commission, said “ten minutes into his presentation (State enterprise chairman named) indicated to him that his proposal was not of interest to the Task Force”.

The commission concluded the evaluation process by which Birk Hillman was selected over Scott and Associates was nothing more than “a charade”, “window-­dressing”, a “farce”, and “a crude attempt to give transparency, efficacy and respectability to the deliberations of the Task Force over which (State enterprise chairman named) presided and at which (businessman named) participated at all material times”.

Clever manipulation

Noting the treatment meted out to Scott and Associates was “abominable”, the commission said it was “of the view that apart from the question of inequality of treatment, favouritism and conflicts of interest, the stamp of corrupt behaviour, cheating and gross misconduct on the part of (State enterprise chairman, businessman and two former ministers named) is self-evident and incontrovertible”. It added that the plot to “eliminate” Scott and Associates and “favour” Birk Hillman was critical to the objective of these players to “bleed the taxpayers’ Treasury”.

“We think...that the Scott and Associate’s proposal was a relatively watertight one which did not lend itself to manipulation, collusion or corruption.... On the other hand...Birk Hillman Consultants Incorporated’s offer was ideal...provided fertile ground for manipulation, collusion and corruption with the not unnatural result that in the process the taxpayers’ purse was successfully assaulted.” The October 30, 1996, task force interim report submitted to cabinet was “replete with comments prejudicial to Scott and Associates...and supportive of Birk Hillman”.

Birk Hillman however was described as “butchers” and the terminal facility “a barn” by former head of the Civil Aviation Department and former representative of T&T on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (the late) Eustace Seignoret. Seignoret “recounted...an incident when he attended a conference of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)”, and “a conversation took place between himself and a number of participants.... He happened to tell them that Birk Hillman Consultants Inc. had been selected as Project Consultants for the Facility.... Their response was that they had never heard about them in the airline industry”, the report said.

The commission said Ronald Birk and Eduardo Hillman, the principals of Birk Hillman, had previously been part of a consortium with the Maritime Group and West Indies Stockbrokers (WISE), and this consortium had been part of an earlier but unsuccessful bid for the Airport Development Project under the PNM government. The report said the circumstances in which Ronald Birk, Eduardo Hillman, WISE and Maritime Group came together again were suspicious in the extreme.

After sitting on the task force that recommended Birk Hillman to manage the construction of the project, the businessman’s company was awarded major contracts. At the time when one of the contracts for Package 6 was awarded to a consortium which included the businessman’s company, it was being threatened by its bankers with legal action for non-compliance with existing financial commitments guaranteed by the businessman. “Indeed Mr (name called) sought to allay the bank’s concerns with the promise that resolution of these outstanding loans will occur when the Airport Contract was awarded to his company. This was well before the actual awards,” the report said.

Armour accused commission of bias

The businessman named was sent a summons at one point when Scott, of Scott and Associates of Canada, came to give evidence. “On this occasion, Mr Reginald Armour and Mr Devant Maharaj attended upon the Commission...stating that they appeared on behalf of Mr (businessman named). At the time, Mr (David) Scott was on the witness stand. He was about to give more evidence to be cross-examined. Mr Armour sought leave of the Commission to make a statement. His attention was then drawn to the Procedural Rules and his request was turned down. He was reminded also about the Procedure which was published ahead of the hearing and which was to the effect that only oral evidence in chief would be given, after which cross-examination of the witness would follow. Thereupon, Mr Armour openly accused the Commission of bias and then walked out of the Sitting together with Mr Maharaj.”

Following another summons, accompanied by transcripts of oral testimony of witnesses and documentary evidence, Maharaj and Armour again appeared before the commission, sans the businessman. “Among the witnesses was Mr David Scott who had returned to Trinidad all the way from Canada.... Mr Armour again sought to make a statement. This was refused by the Commission for the same reason as before. He was invited by the Commission to question the witnesses, especially Mr Scott.... Instead Mr Armour then declined to do so or to take any further part in the proceedings and withdrew.” The businessman’s company was also given all the evidence implicating it and was directed to attend to question witnesses implicating it and to refute allegations, but it failed to attend.

Even before the first hearing, a former government minister began to question the propriety of the commission’s actions, claiming via letters that he was not a subject of the enquiry whatsoever and challenged the commission’s decision in this regard. The former minister never participated in the commission, but chose instead to describe it as a “kangaroo court”, a “three-ringed circus”, “publicly threatened to take legal action against the President (Robinson)” and the commission and publicly refused to honour a summons and failed to participate in the CoE, notwithstanding the fact that he was sent documentary evidence and oral testimony of a number of witnesses implicating him.

“He preferred to stay away from the Enquiry and indulge his taste in rhetoric and vituperation. What a pity!” the report stated. At various times during the sittings of the commission, all the parties, with the exception of the former minister and businessman, attended the sittings, some through their counsel and others through representation provided at taxpayers’ expense after requests for it. Another government minister also withdrew from participation.

Commission of enquiry

The Commission of enquiry was chaired by the late Clinton Bernard, a former chief justice, and comprised:

• Victor Hart, a retired chartered quantity surveyor and project manager

• Marie Ange Knights, chartered accountant and former assistant auditor general

• Peter Bynoe, chartered consulting architect and former chief architect

• Keith Sirju, chartered engineer and a lecturer in structural analysis and designs at UWI.

The commission received 73 memoranda/statements; heard from 65 witnesses, held 171 public hearings and 12 private hearings. It was appointed by then president Arthur NR Robinson on April 22, 2002. At that time, the Manning administration, which took office in December 2001, was in office. The commission handed in its report in August 2003.

—More of the revelations of the

Piarco report next Sunday.

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby wing » May 28th, 2023, 6:13 pm

bluefete wrote:https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/massive-corruption/article_20c35be0-fcfd-11ed-bcbf-575c38a59f63.html

MASSIVE CORRUPTION
20 years later: Piarco airport commission of enquiry report finally unwrapped...

Ria Taitt 12 hrs ago

It has remained under wraps for two decades.

The Sunday Express has however obtained a copy of the report of the commission of enquiry into the Piarco Airport Development Project, a subject which has poi­soned the political bloodstream of Trinidad and Tobago with allegations of corruption on a grand scale and counter-­allegations of political witch-hunting.

Image
No direct evidence against former PM: Basdeo Panday (But he knew corruption was happening)

The report of the commission of enquiry, which examined the project from April 2002 to August 2003, found “serious breaches, inclu­ding acts of massive corruption, greed, conflicts of interest, inequality of treatment, favouritism, gross misconduct, irregularities, improprieties and mismanagement by many, including ministers of the former (UNC) administration”.

The report, which was never laid in Parliament, named top government officials and businessmen as the key players in the “scandalous affair” who “plotted to defraud the State through the $1.6 billion Piarco Airport Development Project”.

The report however had high praise for only one member of the Basdeo Panday cabinet—Jearlean John.

Image
convincing, helpful and effective witness’:Jearlean John

It condemned the behaviour of two other high-ranking government officials, and while critical of former minister of housing and settlements John Humphrey, it absolved him of any link to corruption.

For the head of the government, Basdeo Pan­day, the commission was ambivalent, likening him to Roman emperor Nero.

The project, which started at an anticipa­ted construction cost of $662 million, ended up at $1.6 billion, a one-billion-dollar cost overrun.

According to the re­port, it was a top govern­ment official who changed the funding arrangements from build-­operate-transfer (BOT) to general borrowing financed by the government, which Cabinet agreed to on his advice.

The project was given “an open cheque book”. The report said six loans were raised from local and foreign banks, totalling $1.54 billion.

The estimated total repayment on these, together with interest and charges over the 20-year period, amounted to $3.55 billion.

Panday fiddled while airport burned

The commission found no direct evidence that then-Prime Minister Basdeo Panday was a party to the scandalous events swirling under his administration.

However, it found that despite public outcries and verbal complaints made to him (Panday) by Nipdec (National Insurance Property Development Company Ltd) general manager Noel Garcia and Nipdec director Francis Mungroo about what was going on with the airport project, Panday, “like Roman emperor Nero, stood there and fiddled during this unsavoury affair”.

The report added: “It was not until Jearlean John, a latecomer to the project, saw and reported to him (Panday) about the ‘greed and insanity’ (her words) that were operating at the Project that he was bestirred.

“According to Ms John, she had told Mr Panday exactly this. She claimed that he responded by telling her that he was aware that there was a ‘feeding frenzy’ and a ‘milch cow’ in ope­ration on the project. He then promised to abolish the Inter-Ministerial Committee....He later followed up on his promise...and abolished this Committee....We construe the words (of Panday) ‘feeding frenzy’ and ‘milching of the cow’ to mean that the then Prime Minister seemed to be aware that considerable improprieties were taking place on this project.... One must wonder why...did he not intervene earlier,” the commission said.

The commission acknowledged that before its rebuilding, citizens had expressed shame at the obsolete terminal facility and “empathised” with the idea of a new terminal building and associated facilities. But what they ended up getting was a facility which professionals said was “outrageously expensive, inadequate in its design and construction quality.... Parameters of quality, cost and delive­ry time...showed that this Project had failed on every count”.

Grateful for Jearlean

Perhaps the greatest plaudits went to Jearlean John, who replaced Sadiq Baksh as minister of works and transport “late in the day”, who turned out to be “a very convincing, helpful and effective witness”, to whom the commission was “most grateful”.

John said she expressed her disappro­val of the manipulation which “she discovered had been the order of the day on this Project”, and she ordered that any future works should be made open to public tender. She said she attended only one meeting of the ad hoc ministerial committee chaired by John Humphrey, which comprised ministers and public officials, and stated that on this one and only appearance “she was an unwelcome guest”.

“According to her, she was not at all happy about what had transpi­red at the meeting; so after this meeting she and then Finance Minister Gerald Yetming (who at the time had replaced minister Brian Kuei Tung), who also attended, had decided not to take any further part in the deliberations of this body again.... She never did thereafter”.

She then took her concerns to Panday. “In the Commission’s opinion, were it not for the resolute determination and firm resolve of this newly appointed Line Minister, the “feeding and milching” would have continued unaba­ted,” the report said.

The commission cited two “admirable instan­ces of John’s industry and steadfastness: a two dog kennel estimated to cost TT$170,000 and a change order in the sum of $20 million for the VIP Lounge” came to her attention and “she struck them down; and ordered that these works be put out to public tender. The awards for these eventually were TT$84,000 and $12 million respectively...resulting in considerable savings to the taxpayer” due to John’s “crucial” intervention. “She summed up the operations at the Project as ‘chaotic’, ‘treacherous’ and ‘scandalous’.”

“Her predecessor, Mr Sadiq Baksh, never for­mally handed over to her. He kept his distance from her, so she returned the compliment. Ms John’s role as Line Minister was in­deed commendable and in this connection, the Commission is of the view that the country owes her a deep and profound sense of gratitude,” the report said.

Humphrey more fool than knave

Humphrey, who ini­tially made “scathing” and “untruthful” allegations” about the president (Robinson), forcing the commission to publish a disclaimer, eventually attended the commission and retracted these statements under oath, and said he was “no longer critical of the Commission”. He then made a public appeal to those who had know­ledge of what went on in the project to come forward “and let us know the truth”.

“The Commission recorded its commendation of Mr Humphrey for his stand...and his forthrightness,” it said.

The report noted however that Humphrey claimed to be the chairman of an ad hoc ministerial committee although secretary to the cabinet, Mrs Leung Woo-Gabriel, testified that cabinet never esta­blished any interministerial committee.

“It would appear from the evidence that Mr Humphrey’s role in all this came about as a result of a letter which he addressed to the chairman of NIPDEC (Edward Bayley) and copied to the Prime Minister”, dated April 8, 1999, expressing his alarm at the progress of the airport terminal project and announcing that there will be monthly meetings from then on with the ministers of housing and settlement (himself), works and transport, finance, and planning and development, also to be attended by stakeholders such as Nipdec, Birk Hillman.

The commission leaned towards the view that Humphrey was never appointed to head any ministerial committee, that he set up this interministerial committee himself “to clean up the mess” ta­king place on the project, as he claimed. “On the evidence as a whole the Commission finds that Mr Humphrey unilaterally and improperly arrogated unto himself powers with which he was not clothed.

“A perfect example is the case where the con­tract had provided for liquidated damages against contractors and his intervention which altered this, to acceleration incentives”, was described by Nipdec manager Margaret Thompson as “a carrot without a (proverbial) stick”.

The report said Sadiq Baksh “never lifted a finger in protest over the usurpation of his portfo­lio. Instead he agreed with all the decisions taken and as such, in our opinion, aided and abetted Mr Humphrey in all that he did”.

Foster father Humphrey

Humphrey, to use his own words, claimed that he became the “Foster Father” of the project when he had gone into the handling of the operations of the project as “Chairman” and “Captain” of this interministerial committee after, he said, he was kept out of the operations of the project “completely” and wanted to “clean up the mess there”.

Humphrey also testified that he was “kept in the dark” about the contract to Calmaquip Engineering, and was hearing for the first time at the commission of enquiry about this contract, a contract which he described was “quite irregular and wrong”. Humphrey said he saw no valid reason why local contractors could not be given this contract. “He did state that, as far as he could recall, this matter was handled by the line Minister, Sadiq Baksh and Kuei Tung...the person who had brought the matter to Cabinet”.

Humphrey said the cabinet had big development plans ahead. He claimed a company to manufacture brake pads for planes was “on the drawing board”, roads and hotel to be constructed in Mayaro, and he proposed the construction of a lake, a golf resort and a five-star hotel on the airport site. “The Commission takes the view that Mr Humphrey was out of step with reality.... The construction of a lake would obviously encourage the infiltration of birds thereto which could certainly be a danger to incoming and outgoing aircraft,” the commission said.

“While Mr Humphrey may well have acted in all these matters with the best of intentions, the Commission considers that his methods of operation were injudicious. We are of the view, however, from all the evidence, that he did not, unlike others, indulge his taste deliberately in chicanery and skulduggery. He was, we feel, one who really wanted to get on with the job and to be in the picture.... In acting as he did, however he fell into error.... The Commission is more inclined to assess Mr Humphrey as more fool than knave,” the report said.

Grand-scale collusion

According to the report, it was essential to those involved in the corruption to place Birk Hillman as the construction manager of this project. But in order to do this, they had to “eliminate” Scott and Associates, a Canadian company and the rival company which the PNM (People’s National Movement) government had previously earmarked for a BOT arrangement to plan, design, manage the project, operate it for 16 years, train local personnel in the interim, and thereafter hand it over to the government.

In this arrangement the financial cost to Scott and Associates “personally, not the T&T taxpayer) was estimated at US$65 million (TT$390 million). The UNC Government killed this plan and established a Task Force to oversee the implementation of the Piarco Development Project and to make recommendations for the award of a Consultancy Contract in connection with this.

“The collusion on a grand scale to bleed the Treasury of this country” began with the establishment of this task force under (name of State enterprise chairman called), “a one time business associate of Birk Hillman”, the commission said. The other members included (name of businessman called) the man who benefited the most from Birk Hillman’s selections of companies awarded contracts under this project.

“On the evidence, it is the opinion of the Commission that the Task Force was, from the inception, cleverly manipulated by (top government official named), along with (a former state enterprise chairman named) and (businessman named) in order to ensure that the recommendation was made to award Birk Hillman Consultants with the consultancy contract for the Airport Development,” the report said.

Both the State enterprise chairman and the businessman were recommended by the top government official for membership of this task force, and they played a critical role in evaluating the proposals of Birk Hillman and rival Scott and Associates for the consultancy contract.

A permanent secretary who was never appointed by Cabinet as a member of this task force, but who attended all the meetings, told the commission that a top government official “had directed him to recommend to the Task Force that it should recommend Birk Hillman Consultants as the Consultant on the Project”. The commission said the permanent secretary acted as a “rubber stamp” for the government official, a key manipulator in the background, and that he (the PS) offered no check and balance.

The commission said, based on all the evidence, oral and documentary, it was “convinced that the machinery of the Task Force...facilitated one of the worst financial scandals ever to occur in this country. The Commission is convinced that, on the evidence as a whole, there was collusion on a grand scale to bleed the Treasury of this country”.

Favouritism to Birk Hillman

The commission concluded that favouritism was shown to Birk Hillman and it started with a government minister’s visit to Birk Hillman’s offices in Miami in August 1996. It produced a letter dated July 30, 1996, from the former minister, written to Panday, in which he was seeking Panday’s permission as PM to visit Birk Hillman Consultants offices.

Birk Hillman, the commission found, had a copy of the tourism master plan, which formed the basis of their proposal, and this privileged knowledge of the tourism master plan was given a lot of weight by the task force. “Therefore Birk Hillman had a march on Scott and Associates” which was at no time supplied with a copy of this Plan.... It follows from all these things not only how Birk Hillman Incorporated could possibly have come into possession of this Tourism Master Plan beforehand but also how they could have been so highly favoured for the job well in advance of the Presentation of its Proposal before the Task Force,” the commission said.

“Scott and Associates was notified about the intention of the Task Force to interview it mere days before the date of its presentation, and it should be noted, after the decision of the Task Force to recommend Birk Hillman Consultants as the preferred designers and managers of the Project,” the report said.

Humphrey told the commission that at the time he was invited to attend the Birk Hillman Consultants Incorporated’s presentation before the task force on the afternoon of October 17, he was unaware that Scott and Associates had made its presentation that morning. At Birk Hillman’s presentation, “a substantial complement of ministers” was present, but no one from the cabinet attended Scott’s presentation. Furthermore, “aggressive” questioning of Scott by (businessman named) sought to “attack” and to “undermine” his competence. David Scott, in his testimony to the commission, said “ten minutes into his presentation (State enterprise chairman named) indicated to him that his proposal was not of interest to the Task Force”.

The commission concluded the evaluation process by which Birk Hillman was selected over Scott and Associates was nothing more than “a charade”, “window-­dressing”, a “farce”, and “a crude attempt to give transparency, efficacy and respectability to the deliberations of the Task Force over which (State enterprise chairman named) presided and at which (businessman named) participated at all material times”.

Clever manipulation

Noting the treatment meted out to Scott and Associates was “abominable”, the commission said it was “of the view that apart from the question of inequality of treatment, favouritism and conflicts of interest, the stamp of corrupt behaviour, cheating and gross misconduct on the part of (State enterprise chairman, businessman and two former ministers named) is self-evident and incontrovertible”. It added that the plot to “eliminate” Scott and Associates and “favour” Birk Hillman was critical to the objective of these players to “bleed the taxpayers’ Treasury”.

“We think...that the Scott and Associate’s proposal was a relatively watertight one which did not lend itself to manipulation, collusion or corruption.... On the other hand...Birk Hillman Consultants Incorporated’s offer was ideal...provided fertile ground for manipulation, collusion and corruption with the not unnatural result that in the process the taxpayers’ purse was successfully assaulted.” The October 30, 1996, task force interim report submitted to cabinet was “replete with comments prejudicial to Scott and Associates...and supportive of Birk Hillman”.

Birk Hillman however was described as “butchers” and the terminal facility “a barn” by former head of the Civil Aviation Department and former representative of T&T on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (the late) Eustace Seignoret. Seignoret “recounted...an incident when he attended a conference of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)”, and “a conversation took place between himself and a number of participants.... He happened to tell them that Birk Hillman Consultants Inc. had been selected as Project Consultants for the Facility.... Their response was that they had never heard about them in the airline industry”, the report said.

The commission said Ronald Birk and Eduardo Hillman, the principals of Birk Hillman, had previously been part of a consortium with the Maritime Group and West Indies Stockbrokers (WISE), and this consortium had been part of an earlier but unsuccessful bid for the Airport Development Project under the PNM government. The report said the circumstances in which Ronald Birk, Eduardo Hillman, WISE and Maritime Group came together again were suspicious in the extreme.

After sitting on the task force that recommended Birk Hillman to manage the construction of the project, the businessman’s company was awarded major contracts. At the time when one of the contracts for Package 6 was awarded to a consortium which included the businessman’s company, it was being threatened by its bankers with legal action for non-compliance with existing financial commitments guaranteed by the businessman. “Indeed Mr (name called) sought to allay the bank’s concerns with the promise that resolution of these outstanding loans will occur when the Airport Contract was awarded to his company. This was well before the actual awards,” the report said.

Armour accused commission of bias

The businessman named was sent a summons at one point when Scott, of Scott and Associates of Canada, came to give evidence. “On this occasion, Mr Reginald Armour and Mr Devant Maharaj attended upon the Commission...stating that they appeared on behalf of Mr (businessman named). At the time, Mr (David) Scott was on the witness stand. He was about to give more evidence to be cross-examined. Mr Armour sought leave of the Commission to make a statement. His attention was then drawn to the Procedural Rules and his request was turned down. He was reminded also about the Procedure which was published ahead of the hearing and which was to the effect that only oral evidence in chief would be given, after which cross-examination of the witness would follow. Thereupon, Mr Armour openly accused the Commission of bias and then walked out of the Sitting together with Mr Maharaj.”

Following another summons, accompanied by transcripts of oral testimony of witnesses and documentary evidence, Maharaj and Armour again appeared before the commission, sans the businessman. “Among the witnesses was Mr David Scott who had returned to Trinidad all the way from Canada.... Mr Armour again sought to make a statement. This was refused by the Commission for the same reason as before. He was invited by the Commission to question the witnesses, especially Mr Scott.... Instead Mr Armour then declined to do so or to take any further part in the proceedings and withdrew.” The businessman’s company was also given all the evidence implicating it and was directed to attend to question witnesses implicating it and to refute allegations, but it failed to attend.

Even before the first hearing, a former government minister began to question the propriety of the commission’s actions, claiming via letters that he was not a subject of the enquiry whatsoever and challenged the commission’s decision in this regard. The former minister never participated in the commission, but chose instead to describe it as a “kangaroo court”, a “three-ringed circus”, “publicly threatened to take legal action against the President (Robinson)” and the commission and publicly refused to honour a summons and failed to participate in the CoE, notwithstanding the fact that he was sent documentary evidence and oral testimony of a number of witnesses implicating him.

“He preferred to stay away from the Enquiry and indulge his taste in rhetoric and vituperation. What a pity!” the report stated. At various times during the sittings of the commission, all the parties, with the exception of the former minister and businessman, attended the sittings, some through their counsel and others through representation provided at taxpayers’ expense after requests for it. Another government minister also withdrew from participation.

Commission of enquiry

The Commission of enquiry was chaired by the late Clinton Bernard, a former chief justice, and comprised:

• Victor Hart, a retired chartered quantity surveyor and project manager

• Marie Ange Knights, chartered accountant and former assistant auditor general

• Peter Bynoe, chartered consulting architect and former chief architect

• Keith Sirju, chartered engineer and a lecturer in structural analysis and designs at UWI.

The commission received 73 memoranda/statements; heard from 65 witnesses, held 171 public hearings and 12 private hearings. It was appointed by then president Arthur NR Robinson on April 22, 2002. At that time, the Manning administration, which took office in December 2001, was in office. The commission handed in its report in August 2003.

—More of the revelations of the

Piarco report next Sunday.
Interesting read. Just goes to show how despicable these people are and how hypocritical their defenders are. Who knows what will be uncovered when the PNM is investigated.

bluefete
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby bluefete » May 28th, 2023, 6:31 pm

^^ You see the current AG's name playing up big time in this matter.

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Dizzy28
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby Dizzy28 » May 28th, 2023, 7:12 pm

^^ What do you mean when PNM is investigated?

We literally had the Udecott COE. Manning allowed far greater corruption than Panday and faced no repurcussions. There are also current sitting Cabinet members who also sat in Cabinet for Udecott.

pugboy
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby pugboy » May 28th, 2023, 8:01 pm

the ag make it sound like he had a lil clerical job in that matter when the yankees pull him up like a little boy

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wing
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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby wing » May 28th, 2023, 8:06 pm

Dizzy28 wrote:^^ What do you mean when PNM is investigated?

We literally had the Udecott COE. Manning allowed far greater corruption than Panday and faced no repurcussions. There are also current sitting Cabinet members who also sat in Cabinet for Udecott.
Whenever the PNM is voted out, they will be investigated as well. Lawyers have to eat too.

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby Kickstart » May 28th, 2023, 10:43 pm

wing wrote:
Dizzy28 wrote:^^ What do you mean when PNM is investigated?

We literally had the Udecott COE. Manning allowed far greater corruption than Panday and faced no repurcussions. There are also current sitting Cabinet members who also sat in Cabinet for Udecott.
Whenever the PNM is voted out, they will be investigated as well. Lawyers have to eat too.
PNM 2025 bro, what u talking about .

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Re: *****The OFFICIAL Corruption Thread*****

Postby screwbash » May 29th, 2023, 3:13 am

wing wrote:
Dizzy28 wrote:^^ What do you mean when PNM is investigated?

We literally had the Udecott COE. Manning allowed far greater corruption than Panday and faced no repurcussions. There are also current sitting Cabinet members who also sat in Cabinet for Udecott.
Whenever the PNM is voted out, they will be investigated as well. Lawyers have to eat too.



never. unc too chuppid to investigate anyone. panday was a fool, kamla was a fool. panday let everyone get away, kamla only punish she own and let all d pnm people do what they want from leaving them on state boards and ministries to listening to the pnm and firing ramlogan and warner. indian people to soft an full of jelly with no backbone.

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