Lake Asphalt contract: $m deal linked to minister’s relative

kevcam · Postby **kevcam** » October 10th, 2012, 10:12 am

A Lake Asphalt Ltd (LATT) contract was shifted from a Brazilian firm to a local firm allegedly owned by the close relative of a government minister, Opposition PNM MP Fitzgerald Jeffrey has said. Jeffrey, MP for La Brea, spoke about the situation during Monday night’s House of Representatives budget debate. He said the chairman of LATT was said to be a close relative of a senior Cabinet Minister and also a close friend of the Prime Minister.

Jeffrey added that the shift of the contract to the local firm incurred extra cost for LATT. He said: “I come to a scandal that warrants urgent attention, Lake Asphalt (1978) Ltd. There is a questionable operation at Lake Asphalt.” He said Lake Asphalt usually imports hardboard from a company called Pegasus from Brazil.

“They have been doing that for the past five years to make their ballast,” Jeffrey said. He said early this year, the chairman of the board, “who it is said to be a close relative to a senior Cabinet Minister, and is said to be a close friend of the Prime Minister, authorised the board and the CEO to stop importing the hardboard from Pegasus in Brazil and instead purchase the hardboard from a company called Fastec that is owned by a close relative of another minister in Government.”

Jeffrey said: “The cost of the hardboard from Fastec is twice as much as the hardboard from Pegasus. The quality at Fastec is inferior to the hardboard that is coming from Brazil. “As a matter of fact, Fastec hardboard has a 20 per cent rejection rate because the strength of the board is inadequate and difficult to work with.” He said earlier this year, the asphalt company spent $1 million more for hardboard from Fastec than it would have had to pay if it had imported from Brazil.

He added: “They had to pay an additional $300,000 to produce the drums, so, $1.3 million extra that this company, that is employing 185 persons only, had to pay. “What is more staggering is that the chairman has ordered the CEO and the board to double the importation from Fastec.”

Jeffrey said it would cost Lake Asphalt $2 million extra to import the hardboard and $500,000 extra in production costs. “That is a cause for concern,” he added. LATT chairman Kuralal Rampersad and Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine did not answer cellphone calls yesterday.

Jeffrey said he also had information that a former senior LATT official went to Canada to set up a company to buy raw asphalt from LATT which was to be refined and sold, undercutting LATT’s product. Jeffrey claimed that was intended to rundown LATT in order for it to be sold.

Jeffrey said under the UNC, attempts were made to sell Lake Asphalt to one of the party’s financiers. Jeffrey added: “It took the population of La Brea to march around La Brea several times to stop the sale. I am putting Lake Asphalt on notice that the people of La Brea will stand by again if it happens again that they have to do that.”

Jeffrey called on Government to say if there was a plan to make Port-of-Spain deteriorate since Government was moving many ministries out of the capital, saying an El Socorro building was being rented out for government offices. He added: “There is a new development along the El Socorro Road in San Juan where buildings, once used to sell car parts, are being converted into office space and rented for as much as $80,000 a month.”

The budget debate is expected to end today, House leader Roodal Moonilal said yesterday. Debate begins in the Senate at 10 am on Monday.

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-10- ... s-relative

dougla_boy · Postby **dougla_boy** » October 10th, 2012, 10:19 am

rfari · Postby **rfari** » October 10th, 2012, 10:34 am

i cyar
keep up
i tyad

White CZ4A · Postby **White CZ4A** » October 10th, 2012, 10:41 am

fastec....nuff said.
kamla really helping all her 'friends' yes.

16 cycles · Postby **16 cycles** » October 10th, 2012, 10:47 am

who the registered owners of fastec?

they ain't even have a website....

TRAE · Postby **TRAE** » October 10th, 2012, 10:56 am

here we go again... see vid:

Centric · Postby **Centric** » October 10th, 2012, 11:03 am

kevcam wrote:A Lake Asphalt Ltd (LATT) contract was shifted from a Brazilian firm to a local firm allegedly owned by the close relative of a government minister, Opposition PNM MP Fitzgerald Jeffrey has said. Jeffrey, MP for La Brea, spoke about the situation during Monday night’s House of Representatives budget debate. He said the chairman of LATT was said to be a close relative of a senior Cabinet Minister and also a close friend of the Prime Minister.

Jeffrey added that the shift of the contract to the local firm incurred extra cost for LATT. He said: “I come to a scandal that warrants urgent attention, Lake Asphalt (1978) Ltd. There is a questi.........

Reached here.

Got bored.

Left.

Postby **nervewrecker** » October 10th, 2012, 11:23 am

I with fari on this one yes, I fed up.

rfari · Postby **rfari** » October 10th, 2012, 11:33 am

TRAE wrote:here we go again... see vid:

ronsin1 · Postby **ronsin1** » October 10th, 2012, 11:38 am

all this while I still trying to get my money from a small contract we got from a certain state company
Maybe I should have been related so someone in the cabinet as well.
Thank you Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Postby **Monk BANzai** » October 10th, 2012, 11:46 am

dougla_boy wrote:

honestly, sicne the removal of Wayne Wood as Chairman...Lake Asphalt has been on the decline. It was one of teh industries that actually turned aroudn and was making profit and strides into the Chinese and Middle East Markets.

Sad...

dougla_boy · Postby **dougla_boy** » October 10th, 2012, 11:53 am

ent PNM do dat??

GET RID OF IT!!!!!

Postby **Monk BANzai** » October 10th, 2012, 12:13 pm

dougla_boy wrote:ent PNM do dat??

GET RID OF IT!!!!!

lol...worked clsoely with them as a Brand Manager when "PEE ENN EMMM" was in power... was on of Conrad Enil's positives when the Energy Ministry went overseas on Conferences. Trinidad Asphlat is known worldwide as good bitumen eh..

but..this is interesting (short spinoff)

http://www.tntmirror.com/2012/07/22/ene ... -directors

IT appears that it is back to the PNM at the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs as Kevin Ramnarine has quietly brought back in several people who were let go by the People’s Partnership government and who were identified as PNM sympathizers because they were appointed to their positions by the former government.

Faced with a near crisis at the Ministry of Energy Ramnarine last week brought back as consultants at least four of the five directors who he allowed to leave the Ministry. Back in the fold are Helena Innis King, the former Director of Resource Management at the Ministry, and who was appointed under the Patrick Manning administration. Also back at the Ministry of Energy is Mohan Jogie, director of contract management, he too was appointed by the Patrick Manning administration. Vernon De Silva, the former Director, Research and Planning, has also been retained by Ramnarine.

In addition Frank Look Kin whose salary was being paid by the NGC even though he was working at the Ministry of Energy contract came to an end and the National Gas Company refused to continue paying him a salary that is the same as the President of the NGC. However he has been brought back to the Ministry as Ramnarine’s advisor. In addition Andrew Jupiter who retired from the National Energy Corporation and was brought to the company by Professor Ken Julian ha been asked to stay on because according to Ramnarine “the energy sector is in a state of transition and there is a need for experienced people in leadership positions.”

All of this comes as there was reportedly an exodus of staff from the Ministry of Energy with reports that as many as thirty senior and middle management staff had left the Ministry since Ramnarine took over from former Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan......

that was dated July 2012....

dougla_boy · Postby **dougla_boy** » October 10th, 2012, 12:27 pm

*awaits the sheep*

rfari · Postby **rfari** » October 10th, 2012, 1:46 pm

ah boy. well at least dem dunceyhead ppl realise they cyar do the wuk and is best they leave it up to the pros. at the end of pp's term in office, they would have made one big ole circle

equipped2ripp · Postby **equipped2ripp** » October 10th, 2012, 3:32 pm

this isn't all the bobol that's going on with the LATT board... this here is just part of it.

Polydor · Postby **Polydor** » October 10th, 2012, 3:40 pm

16 cycles wrote:who the registered owners of fastec?

they ain't even have a website....

BARRACKPORE :shock:

pugboy · Postby **pugboy** » October 10th, 2012, 4:21 pm

hopefully the company registered/created longer than march 2012
and have experienced track record in industry
unlike ish daughter company

rspann · Postby **rspann** » October 10th, 2012, 4:58 pm

Don' forget that Panday nearly sell Duprey it cheap.

kevcam · Postby **kevcam** » October 11th, 2012, 8:49 am

Polydor wrote:
16 cycles wrote:who the registered owners of fastec?

they ain't even have a website....

BARRACKPORE

Who owns FASTEC—the company which is benefiting from a million-dollar contract from Lake Asphalt to supply hardboard?

The Express contacted FASTEC yesterday by phone, which is located in Papourie Road, Barrackpore, and an employee refused to divulge the name of the owner of the company.

The Express conducted a search of the companies registry and found that the directors of FASTEC are Balvant Nathu-Hari and Angeline Nathu-Hari whose occupations were listed as directors of N & A Holdings Ltd.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Opp ... 28511.html