A Penal woman who claimed she freed herself from a car trunk on Monday, after she was kidnapped and held captive for three days, allegedly fabricated the entire story.

Reshma Maharaj, 30, appeared before a Justice of the Peace in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesterday afternoon charged with making a false report and was subsequently granted $15,000 own bail to reappear before a magistrate today.

Maharaj, a secretary at a doctor’s office, was found by police officers around 8 am on Monday along the M2 Ring Road, near the T&TEC sub-station in Debe. She reported to PC Trevor Rampersad and Sgt Morrison that she was kidnapped on Friday morning along the M2 Ring Road near La Romaine. She claimed she was driving along the M2 Ring Road when a vehicle pulled in front of her and three men came out, grabbed her and forced her into their vehicle. She further claimed the men kept her captive in a house and on Monday left her in the truck of a car. She told police her mouth was gagged with cloth and her hands were bound with tape during the ordeal, but she escaped after kicking out the back seat of the car.

The police had taken the woman for medical attention at the San Fernando General Hospital before dropping her home on Monday afternoon.

But following inquires by investigators, including Rampersad, Morrison, Insp Don Gajadhar, PC Harripersad of the Cyber Crime Unit, Maharaj was arrested when she returned to the San Fernando Police Station yesterday. The charge alleged that on Monday at M2 Ring Road, La Romaine, she caused the wasteful employment of the police by knowingly making a false report that she was kidnapped by three men.

She later appeared before JP Sandra Soogrim-Ramsaran but was not asked to plead to the charge. Maharaj, who hid her face with a black veil in the court, was represented by attorney Subhas Panday. After being granted own bail, Maharaj was released after she signed the bail bond documents. The offence carries a maximum sentence on summary conviction of a fine of $1,000 and to imprisonment for six months.

Move over Property Tax—Government’s next big revenue earner might be coming from traffic fines under upcoming Motor Vehicle legislation.

And under that law, if you break the red light in future you may be helping the state earn money.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi piloted the legislation in the Senate yesterday to introduce a new system of traffic violations.

He noted that revenue earned from traffic matters over 2010 to 2016 totalled $250 million—and that was when only 36 per cent of people complied and paid their “tickets.”

The AG said the judiciary’s 2011-2015 report also showed there were 120,000 traffic cases done over that period, netting $171m in revenue for the state. But again he noted the compliance rate among those who paid tickets was only 36 per cent.

Al-Rawi said the legislation seeks to introduce a system of traffic violations for certain breaches of the law. It decriminalises road traffic offences by converting them to violations. However, serious offences—blood alcohol levels, reckless driving, causing death—won’t be decriminalised.

The legislation particularly provides for implementation of a “red light” camera at traffic lights. If motorists break the red light, the camera will snap a photograph of their vehicle’s number plate. A report will then be sent via mail to the vehicle’s owners ,along with a notice of the breach of the law, the photo and details of the legal process to deal with the matter.

The legislation also introduces a demerit point system and fixed penalty system. It also provides for a vehicle’s owner and user of the vehicle holding a drivers’ licence to be liable for any breach committed via the vehicle.

Al-Rawi noted the judiciary’s recurring call for the large numbers of traffic matters in courts to be handled in way that won’t monopolise magistrates’ time. Over August 2010 and July 2016 there were were 67,926 cases concerning outstanding traffic matters, he added.

“We have a situation where people believe the criminal justice system won’t move as it’s overburdened,” he said.

Scores of Penal residents staged a fiery protest yesterday morning as they called for a regular supply of water in their communities. Complaining that for the last 21 days they had received neither pipe borne nor truck borne water, residents of Solomon Knox Road and Lachoos Road believe they are being victimised by WASA.

Glenford Ramnarine, who was among scores of placard-toting residents who blocked the road from about 5 am, said on Monday he received a phone call from a WASA official who told him to call off the protest.

“Yesterday (Monday) they send water 10 o’ clock and it have water in the pipe now, but for 21 days we have no water, that is wrong.” He promised to continue protest action if residents are not given a regular supply of water.

“We will continue this protest on- and- on until this nonsense stop. We cannot have this going on in this country, people suffering for water and bills coming. That is unfair. That is high class robbery.”

Shiva Roopnarine, president of the Penal Debe Chamber of Commerce who lives in the area and is also affected by the water shortage, said, “Residents here have been without water for 21 days and some of us for two months. We have been paying our WASA bills on time and we have been making reports to WASA on numerous occasions.

“Personally, I have been making requests for truck borne water for a year and half now. My office is about four buildings from the WASA’s office in Penal. Every week we will get a number and to date I have not received

truck borne water from WASA. I am in full support of this protest by residents, it is the only way that water will get here.” He said the fact that they were now receiving water shows that they could have been getting water all along. “Only when we protest we are delivered a basic service such as water,” he said, adding, “We all see it as victimisation. We all see it as somebody in water not doing their job properly and not allowing us to have a basic supply of water. We are

paying our WASA bills and we are not getting water. Imagine when we pay the property tax what will happen.” He added that he was in support of the property tax, but he felt that the level of taxes and the timing not appropriate at this time.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Public Utilities Minister, Fitzgerald Hinds, said he saw the protest in Penal and was becoming convinced that it had motivation other than the need for water. He said, I saw some protest taking place in Penal and I contacted the councillor” for the area. . He said it was a highly charged political environment. Hinds said he contacted councillor Diptee Ramnath who assured him that there were truck borne supplies of water being provided on Monday night and yesterday morning to about 15 households who are not connected to the water grid. He said WASA has improved the pipe borne water supply to the Penal, Debe, Siparia and Fyzabad communities.

In a statement the Public Utilities Ministry said is recognised efforts made by the WASA to manage the country’s water resources during the period of the dry season, which occurs every year between the months of January to June.

It said, “Notwithstanding this, the Ministry notes with great interest, that some residents of the Penal / Debe area have chosen to engage in protest action , despite the fact that water has been distributed to that area on Sunday and Monday in keeping with the published revised water schedule.” The release added: “In addition, the area has also benefited from a truck borne water service in a bid to augment the supplies distributed through WASA’s system, and in adherence to the published schedule of the past week.

WASA reports that the area at Solomon Knox Road off Lachoos Road in Penal, where the protest took place received a pipe borne supply on Monday night. The water pressure was considered adequate for households.The ministry is advised that this was confirmed by the local government representative for the area.”

-With reporting by RISHI RAGOONATH

Four years after Sea Lots residents, 28-year-old Haydee Paul and her two daughters Akasha, seven, and Shakira, eight were killed after a car ploughed into them while walking along the west bound lane of the Beetham Highway, Government turned the sod for the construction of a TT $10 million Sea Lots walkover.

The facility is expected to be completed in five months.

The deaths, which occurred in February 2013, triggered violent and fiery protests from angry residents who demanded a walkover.

When completed, the new walkway would facilitate the safe and efficient movement of pedestrians across the Beetham Highway. A pedestrian walkway leading into the Central Market compound would also be built.

Following the fatal crash, then National Security Minister Jack Warner had promised to build a pedestrian crossing bridge between Pioneer Drive and Production Drive so Sea Lots residents would no longer have to cross the dangerous Beetham Highway.

Ryan Rampersad, one of the three who survived the accident, was emotional yesterday as he said the much needed walkover would save the lives of many, especially children.

“It is a good thing they building the walkover because it will help people. They (motorists) could take their time and drive but they like to speed and it makes no sense speeding because look what it did to me with speeding,” Rampersad said, his speech slurred.

He remained hopeful, however, that one day he would be able to walk again, despite experiencing intense pains in his legs, especially during cold weather.

Following the accident Rampersad was left paralysed and to date he is confined to a wheelchair.

Rampersad, a father of two, sued the driver and Motor One Insurance Company, in a claim for damages as he suffered intense brain damage, was confined to bed, could barely speak and had to be fed intravenously after the horrific accident.

He was awarded TT $800,000 in damages by the San Fernando High Court.

Amanda Lalla, who was also a victim of the crash, echoed Rampersad’s sentiments that the walkover would greatly facilitate children.

During the accident one of Lalla’s legs was broken in two places and she too has still experienced immense pain.

“I also had a fractured skull and up to Friday (last Friday) I went for a test for my brain. I cannot walk so good,” Lalla said.

On the long delay in starting the walkover Works Minister Rohan Sinanan said there were challenges with the land.

“When I came into the ministry there were problems with the land. I told the engineers ‘if you all can’t sort out the lands just start to dig and the owners of the land would come forward.’

“That started to drive the project and we realise the land was not a problem. This project should have been done a long time ago,” Sinanan added.

There will be no change to the one-hour lunch break for primary school pupils.

This was the announcement yesterday by Education Minister, Anthony Garcia, who said, “It was generally agreed and accepted that at this stage, we cannot go along with that proposal.”

The decision was arrived at following a two-hour meeting with education stakeholders about the proposal to reduce the lunch hour by 30 minutes, as one way of reducing violence, indiscipline and injury among primary school pupils which was estimated to be between five and eight per cent.

The meeting, which took place at the Education Towers, Port-of-Spain, included representatives from the T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA); the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA); the National Primary School Principals Association (NAPSPA); the Association of Principals of Assisted Secondary Schools (APASS); and the Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (APPSS).

Following the meeting, Garcia reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to work with all stakeholders to improve the education system.

Insisting there has been a decline in the level of violence and indiscipline in schools, Garcia said, “We cannot stop there.

We need to eradicate this problem from its roots and for us to be successful, the engagement of all our stakeholders is necessary.”

He promised an enhanced level of school supervision from the levels of the principal, dean and teachers - which would include safety checks at the gate, ensuring students are not left unattended in class, reinforcing behavioural guidelines; and walk-throughs by safety officers in order to minimise the possibility of an adverse situation arising.

Stressing the importance of student involvement in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, Garcia added that parental involvement was a very important aspect of their effort and as such, they were moving to ensure there was a PTA or parent support group in every school.

The minister said students who persist with deviant behaviour would be referred to the Learning Enhancement Centre (LEC) for rehabilitation.

Proclaiming the LEC to be one his administration’s crowning glories, Garcia said, “The evidence shows that students having spent some time at the LEC, when they have returned to school, there is a modification of their behaviour.”

Happy that discussions had been initiated among stakeholders regarding their proposal to reduce the lunch, Griffith said their real issue was not about an actual reduction but one to derive solutions which would address broader issues relating to violence and indiscipline.

In charting the way forward, Griffith invited all stakeholders to come together to ensure the safety and welfare of students.

Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan said, “The number of incidents we have in the primary school is significantly less than in secondary schools.”

He said some incidents during which students were injured were not necessarily as a result of violence or indiscipline but involved some lifting benches to prove their strength.

TTUTA president Lynsley Doodhai attracted some hard looks and grumbles from around the table as he referred to the suggestion to reduce the lunch hour as “an outrageous one.”

Articulating their position on the issue which remained unchanged, Doodhai said, “It infringed on the terms and conditions of teachers and it was also academically unsound in terms of the idea.”

Describing the meeting to be a historical one which had seen representatives from the five major education stakeholder organisations coming together, NPTA president, Zena Ramatali ,said they too were had not been swayed from their stance which had seen them reject the proposal.

APASS vice president Lucia Reyes said, “We are very willing to work with primary schools because we understand their concerns.

While it may be slightly different for us, we understand because we get the primary school children so whatever benefits come out of today’s meeting, we are going to benefit as well so we are in support of the primary school principals in the concern for safety of all students.”

She said they are willing to participate in any discussions exploring ways to reduce violence and indiscipline among students as their first concern was to ensure and preserve the safety and security of all students.

Paper committal proceedings against Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Insp Michael Seales are expected to be completed by the end of June.

Seales’ case came up for hearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday for the first time since embattled former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar resigned last month to become a High Court judge.

Although the Judiciary announced that Ayers-Caesar would be reappointed to her post to complete unfinished cases following her resignation last week, Seales’ case would be heard before acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle-Caddle as it did not start before Ayers-Caesar.

During yesterday’s hearing, Busby-Earle-Caddle asked State prosecutors to indicate the status of witnesses in the case.

She was informed that there were 17 witnesses but that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) still had to file and serve most of their statements to Seales’ defence attorneys. They also said that three of the witnesses would not give evidence via sworn statements and would have to attend court to testify.

Seales’ lawyer Owen Hinds Jr informed the court which of the witnesses he wished to cross-examine.

Busby-Earle-Caddle then reserved June 28 and 29 for hearings of the proceedings. After the hearings are complete, Busby-Earle-Caddle will decide whether the State had presented sufficient evidence against Seales and whether he should be eventually tried in the High Court.

Seales is accused of making the seditious statement on June 24, 2015, during a live interview on TV6 Morning Edition. He had claimed there was then an alleged plot by the People’s Partnership government to frustrate the Police Service to react in such a way that there would be a need for a state of emergency, thereby stalling the September 7 general election later that year.

Seales made the comment during the heightened wage negotiations and was suspended the following day by acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams. However he continues to serve in his position in the association.

Seales is also being represented by Pamela Elder, SC.

The rental value of residential properties should be estimated by homeowners on an unfurnished basis, in the current Property Tax exercise says the Finance Ministry’s Valuation Division.

The issue of how rental value would be estimated — whether on furnished or unfurnished value — has been among more frequent public queries in the Ministry’s current public education exercise on the Property Tax.

This is now in its first phase collection of information concerning residential properties. Deadline for submission is May 22. The tax will be based on three per cent of a property’s annual rental value. Forms to be submitted seek a homeowner’s estimation of their property’s rental value.

Valuation officials said the basis for estimation of a property’s rental value is as an unfurnished structure.

The Valuation Division was also contacted on queries about the tax raised by the Congress of the People on Monday.

COP leader Dr Anirudh Mahabir said “The COP has never said we want no tax on property. We want a fair, reasonable, transparent tax.”

Mahabir said COP sought a meeting with the Finance Minister to discuss several issues on the tax but didn’t get a response.

The political party raised questions about classification and criteria to be used concerning residential and commercial properties in the context of home businesses.

The Division’s spokesman said buildings are classified according to condition and quality of finishes and classification will be determined by existing uses. During site visits, valuation officials will take the measurements of a structure and proportions and rates will be based on the residential and commercial aspects being undertaken within the property.

On other COP queries, valuation officials said the annual rental value of the property is the basis of how the tax will be determined. This is according to the Valuation of Land Act (Section 2).

On COP’s concerns about protection for people on fixed incomes and the indigent, officials said legislation provides for a homeowner to apply to the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) for deferral of tax payment.

Last Thursday Finance Minister Colm Imbert said he was considering whether to implement a full waiver for impoverished people rather than burden heirs/new owners with the tax later. He said he’d give a decision on that.

While COP’s Mahabir complained of “conflicting information” on the issue by Government, he also admitted Government has responded to several issues raised by COP.

“Last Thursday, the Finance Minister indicated he was considering converting the deferral (postponement) of the tax for pensioners and others on fixed incomes to a waiver (exemption), a matter raised by the COP since 2016.”

COP’s call for the tax to be used for provision of services to burgesses of the regional corporations, is also an issue Government will have to announce policy decision on.

Yesterday Government officials acknowledged people may feel more comfortable knowing their tax payment goes to provision of lights, security, roads and other community improvements rather than the Consolidated Fund for general Government use.

However, Imbert has said Government needs the funds due to T&T’s tight financial circumstances.

Finance Ministry officials said the property sector has been unregulated for a long time and the tax system would advance its management and assist national planning.

They also said squatters may have to pay the property tax — as the Prime Minister indicated recently — since the 2009 Property Tax Act envisaged that paying the tax didn’t give prescriptive rights to land.

Imbert said last week he was seeking a legal opinion from the Attorney General on the issue since some Opposition quarters had argued that asking squatters to pay the tax would give squatters tenure to the land.

Last week Imbert had cited the Valuation of Land Act as the basis for the current tax exercise, adding that a “perk” of paying property tax was that it reinforced ownership.

The Ministry of Finance has signalled to property owners that the Government proposes to collect property tax for the 2016 calendar year as well as for 2017.

The issue of the Government collecting the property tax for 2016 was first made in a newspaper advertisement published on Monday, at the start of the Ministry of Finance’s public education outreach programme this week as promised by Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

The advertisement, repeated in a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance yesterday, stated:

“The Government has waived the payment of the property tax for the period 2010 to 2015, as such the tax is payable with effect from 2016.”

That comment from the Ministry of Finance is supported by the amendment to the Finance Act 2015, which states:

“Notwithstanding any written law to the contrary, the payment of any tax under this act shall be waived for the period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2015,” suggesting that the property tax is payable with effect from January 1, 2016.

On Monday, the T&T Guardian asked an official at the Ministry of Finance “if the tax is payable with effect from 2016, is it to be understood that the Government proposes to collect property tax for both 2016 and 2017? If the answer is yes, can levying for 2016 be defined as a retroactive tax?”

The Ministry of Finance official did not respond to the question of whether the Government proposed to collect property tax for both 2016 and 2017.

But on the issue of retroactivity, the official said:

“The usual definition of a retroactive tax is one that is introduced in the law at a particular time, but payable back to a time before the tax was enacted, so using this definition that would not be a retroactive tax.”

The Government’s proposal to reintroduce the property tax has drawn a great deal of public comment, much of which has been negative, with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar tearing up a Valuation Return Form and urging citizens not to pay the tax at a public meeting of the United National Congress at the Water Park in Debe on Sunday.

But last night, at a meeting of the ruling People’s National Movement in Diego Martin, Finance Minister Colm Imbert defended the Government’s reintroduction of the property tax, saying Government needed the money in order to help it balance its 2017 budget.

In its first budget, for the 2016 fiscal year, Imbert said the Government remained “convinced that property tax is a modern and fair tax, which is generally paid in all advanced, emerging and developing countries.”

He said then the Government would take steps to amend certain legislative provisions, including the determination of rates and implement the existing Property Tax Act 2009 “with a view to having a fair and equitable property tax regime in place by January 1, 2016, using the old levels and old rates as a starting point.”

But in the 2017 budget presentation, Imbert said: “Based on legal advice with respect to the constitutionality of the proposal to collect the same quantum of land and building taxes collected in 2009, the Government was unable to collect property taxes in fiscal 2016.”

He said the Government will collect the tax in 2017.

The graceful flamingoes and Scarlet Ibis that tourists venture to the Caroni Swamp to view are now finding their way into hunters’ pots.

The worrisome and illegal hunting is a practice T&T Incoming Tour Operators’ Association vice president Stephen Broadbridge says has the potential to severely hamper the local tourism industry.

Broadbridge said flamingoes, which are migratory birds, stop over in Trinidad on their way to South America. Some flocks even settle for lengthy periods, adding to the attraction of the Caroni Bird Sanctuary. During many trips into the sanctuary, tour operators also find feathers from the Scarlet Ibis, T&T’s national bird, which have been plucked by hunters.

With gunshots ringing out daily in areas where hunting is prohibited, the protected birds that aren’t caught are flying away because the hunters are creating a hostile environment, he said. Broadbridge said about a month ago there were 50 flamingoes in the sanctuary, but now 14 remain.

“What we are seeing is much less than the 50 birds that were there last month. The flamingoes are a migratory species and we have what is called the Greater Flamingo passing through,” Broadbridge said.

“To me it is embarrassing as a country because this bird is not native to us, they only stop here en route to their nesting grounds. In other countries these birds are safe and left alone, but when they come here we kill and eat them. They do not belong to us. In Trinidad, persons in Felicity and Caroni have these birds in their freezers.”

The birds usually feed in a game sanctuary of the Caroni Swamp, which means it is illegal for people to hunt there under the Conservation of Wildlife Act. Within the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, there is a Wildlife Section mandated to oversee these areas and protect wildlife. However, Broadbridge said there are now no patrol boats after the engines were stolen from a storage room. He said one of the boats was stolen and later recovered with bullet holes.

Not only does the lack of protection in the Caroni Swamp result in the death and migration of wildlife, Broadbridge said it further destroys the tourism industry, which earns significant foreign exchange. He said T&T attracts visitors from around the world because of its rich eco-tourism market. While there is potential to expand the market, he said the Government is taxing the industry and not giving anything in return. He said all the tour operators are asking for is that money be spent to conserved wildlife and forests.

“Government does not have a lot of time to act. We are losing revenue in oil and to be honest, it was never stable. We are not going to have oil for long again and we need foreign exchange. People from all over the world come to Trinidad and Tobago to see what we have,” he said.

“They’re making millions in tax from tourism and all we’re asking is that they take some of the foreign exchange we earn and put some back into protecting the wildlife.”

With the passing of Dr Anthony Norman Sabga, ORTT, at age 94, the nation has lost perhaps the last of the generation of men and women of will and determination, who created and shaped the independent state of Trinidad & Tobago in ways which will define it in the 21st century.

Sabga was born in 1923 in Syria and came here in 1930, riding a global wave of migration which continued through the 20th century. He began his life in humble circumstances, living in rented rooms on Nelson Street in Port-of-Spain, just off Marine Square (now the Brian Lara Promenade). The family comprised his two brothers, George and Solomon, two sisters, Jamily and Zariffi, and parents. His father had managed to open a small haberdashery on Queen Street in Port-of-Spain, NS Sabga & Sons.

As a boy, Anthony went to school where he fared badly because of the language barrier and a learning disability (dyslexia). At age 12, his father was forced to return to Syria and Anthony was given the responsibility of running the shop. It was a momentous turn of events.

At the time, he was mentored by the men who would become giants in the professional and commercial worlds: Cyril Duprey, AA Hodgkinson and one of the Kirpalanis. He was also helped by one Richard Brathwaite, a salesman who saw potential in the store and turned it away from the retail trade and into an agency business. In addition to business mentorship, Brathwaite also ensured the young man was tutored and educated.

This was in many ways the defining moment of the young Sabga’s life: all his further business ventures followed the pattern. They were all collaborative, involving expertise from a varied group of people; they were centered in a family enterprise; and they were all entrepreneurial in nature, never depending on or desiring more than the freedom to exist in an environment which allowed their operation.

Agency business rises

During the Second World War, the little store on Queen Street became the hub of a small import business, trading with companies in North America and the Far East via the Panama Canal. When the War ended, Anthony Sabga, then a young man of 18, handed over the store’s bulk of accumulated capital (a notable sum of $100,000 at the time) to his brothers, kept $6,000 for himself, and went to Europe, the US and Canada. He sought to become the agent for various companies. The Trinidad economy was still a colonial one, designed to export raw, primary products to the Metropole and import almost everything else.

The first trip was a failure. However, Sabga persisted and subsequent trips were more successful. By his early twenties he had a successful agency business trading in food, dry goods and household items. However, his major success would not come until 1948, when he returned to Syria accompanying a friend, George Moses, who was looking for a bride. There, at the home of Abdou Sabga, a distant relation who was also a successful merchant in Trinidad, he met Minerva Sabga, Abdou’s Trinidad-born daughter, who would become Anthony’s wife. They married in 1948, and their first child, Linda, was born in 1949. She was followed by Norman, Joann, David, Donna and Andrew. This was also the year Standard Distributors was registered.

Following his marriage, Sabga acquired additional agencies which would make him even more successful. These were the German brands Bosch and Heidelberg, which supplied home appliances and printing technology, and Frico powdered milk from Holland. He would set up 268 printer operations throughout the Caribbean in the years that followed, and establish distribution links throughout the region via his company, Standard Distributors.

As times changed and independence loomed, business also changed. In 1966 Sabga launched ANSA Industries, the first local appliance manufacturing company, which built refrigerators from the ground up, and assembled other items from components. It was a ground breaking enterprise, which won him the first Prime Minister’s Export Award in 1968.

In the 1970s, Sabga moved into retail, garment manufacturing and real estate development. This formed the basis for the ANSA Group. His signature achievement in this period was the reclamation of the land that is now Regent’s Park. The ANSA Group was successful, comprising Standard Distributors, Standard Equipment, Crown Industries, Farmhouse Industries, Bell Furniture and ANSA Construction, with Norman Investments and Standard Barbados as regional investments.

Birth of ANSA empire

Sabga’s greatest successes came later in life. In 1985, the once powerful McEnearney Alstons Group went into receivership and the ANSA Group was among the many businesses that bid for it.

Unlike the other bidders, however, ANSA was the only one willing to inject $30 million of fresh capital. This enabled the issue of new shares and would keep the businesses running. By contrast, other bidders were of the mind to break the company up and sell its components off.

When Sabga took over the McAL Group of Companies (which owned the T&T Guardian newspaper) in December 1986, the share price was $1. From 1987 to 2016, the share price climbed from 87 cents to $66.50, even after a stock split in the 90s, and profit went from $28 million to $1.16 billion.

In 1994, Sabga realised a lifelong dream of launching a bank and entered into a partnership with Robert Fleming Ltd, a London merchant bank. He relinquished his control of the ANSA McAL Group and focused his attention on what would, by 2004, become the ANSA Merchant Bank, a synergistic entity comprising the merchant bank and the insurance companies TATIL and TATIL Life.

More recently, Sabga also turned his attention to his legacy, ensuring substantial donations were made to The University of the West Indies, funding the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre. The schools of entrepreneurship and media studies are also in the process of being built. Among his greatest achievements was the establishment of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

Established in 2005, the ANSA Caribbean Awards are the only regional privately funded recognition programme of its kind. It seeks out and rewards scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and those who perform public and civic works. So far, it has awarded 31 scientists, environmentalists, musicians, writers and activists.

Purple and white balloons were released into the sky at the Mamoral Public Cemetery symbolising the returning of an angel—Saleesha Faith Joseph, five, to the Heavens. Just before her casket was put down in her grave, her mother, Kernisha Joseph, placed her favourite teddies— a Rag Doll and Peppa Pig along with two pairs of her favourite shoes.

Joseph also placed two red roses in the casket of her husband, Solomon Joseph, who was killed along with Saleesha last week Friday at their one room wooden home at Leekham Road, Mamoral No.1.

Solomon, 35, was shot twice in the abdomen and little Saleesha was shot once in the neck.

Joseph for most of the time was inconsolable and had to be either lifted by relatives who held up as a support to walk.

At her father-in-law’s house at Mamoral No.2, where the funeral service took place, Joseph often screamed out: “Alyuh bring she for meh na…Go for she! Alyuh go for she…where meh Mama mama gone.”

Her wailing screams echoed throughout the remote village. At one point she was removed from the yard and carried onto the street in a bid for her to compose herself.

The service, which was officiated by Pastor of the Word Alive Dominion Fellowship Church, Wayne Thomas, started promptly at 2 pm. Joseph was brought back and placed in a chair two rows down from where both coffins of her husband and her only child were fixed.

Throughout the service Joseph had her head down and was eventually called out by a relative who took her down to the cemetery to allow her to prepare for her final goodbyes.

In the eulogy delivered by Linda Lemo-Sookraj, Saleesha was described as an angel who grew up to be a “sweet, loving child.”

“She loved her school but not test and would have begged to stay home every Friday. Solomon loved his daughter and whenever she did something wrong he would scold her but then immediately he would tell her that he loves her that’s why he scolded her,” Lemo-Sookraj said.

He fondest memory of Saleesha was how she would dress for school “spic and spank” and how she would have always been on her father’s shoulder all the way to her school.

Solomon was described as a very supportive husband and father, “he was very supportive to Kernisha when she lost her mother about one month ago. He was family-oriented and loved his daughter to the moon and back.”

“As all marriages when he and his wife had an argument, at the end of the day, he would always hug her and tell her how much he loved her,” Lemo-Sookraj said.

“With the outpouring of love tot he family is testimony of Solomon’s life. He touched the lives of many,” she added.

During his sermon, Pastor Thomas urged the scores of mourners to live their lives pleasing to God and to do not live in fear.

“Why are we as citizens allowing ourselves to live in fear because of what is happening in society? We don’t have to live in fear, depression and oppression. God wants us to trust Him. Yes, there are hurts in life, but, God being our help, we can overcome,” Thomas said.

Up to yesterday investigating officers were yet to make a breakthrough in the case, however, an officer said that they have recorded a number of statements and believe that they will make a breakthrough very soon.

So far, police have interviewed two women and four men.

The T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce has expressed its sadness over the passing of Dr Anthony N Sabga, Chairman Emeritus of the ANSA McAL Group.

In a release yesterday, T&T’s leading business chamber said it was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sabga, businessman extraordinaire and patriarch of the Sabga family of T&T.

The chamber pointed out that he was born in Syria in 1923 and arrived in Trinidad with his family in 1930. At just 14 years of age, he joined the family business on Queen Street, Port-of-Spain, marking the beginning of his long and stellar career.

Known for his sharp mind and business acumen, the chamber said Sabga played a pivotal role in several areas of national life.

“His entrepreneurial ventures encompassed manufacturing, retail, agro-processing and more. He founded ANSA Industries in the immediate post-Independence era, working at that time with licensing arrangements from large international corporations to manufacture stoves, refrigerators and other electrical appliances. These were exported to other islands in the years before CARICOM was established.”

The chamber also recognised that Sabga founded Standard Distributors, a household name for decades.

The chamber also drew a parallel between today’s recession and the deep recession of the 1980s and said Sabga was proactive in combating that economic downturn.

“Dr Sabga’s response to economic and structural adjustment challenges of the 1980s was to expand and invest in local enterprise. Through the acquisition of the McEnearney Alston’s Group, ANSA McAL was birthed and today stands as one of the strongest publicly traded companies on the local stock exchange, with a wide regional presence.”

Apart from his business successes, the chamber said he was well known for his philanthropic work. “Most notable among them, the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence (ANSCAFE)—a leading recognition programme in arts, sciences and public and civic work launched in October 2005.”

T&T Chamber CEO Gabriel Faria said Sabga’s work ethic was beyond reproach.

“His passion and commitment to doing what he loved most never waned… even in his post-retirement years and that, to me, was one of his most outstanding qualities… one that is well worth emulating, if we would like to be as productive as he was,” Faria said.

Among the many awards and accolades, a Doctor of Laws Degree, Honoris Causa was conferred upon Sabga in 1998 by the University of the West Indies. In 2008, he was also inducted into the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in business.

Exemplary citizen—ECA

The Employers Consultative Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ECA) meanwhile said it was deeply saddened to learn of Sabga’s passing.

In a release yesterday, the ECA said T&T had lost an exemplary citizen.

“He was a true visionary, entrepreneur and a distinguished leader who made sterling contributions to the development of business and entrepreneurship in our nation and the wider Caribbean region.”

The ECA said Sabga’s distinctive transformation of his simple beginnings and modest resources into an immutable legacy “certainly teaches the country that we should not allow ourselves to be defined by our circumstances.”

It added: “Rather, it is our imagination, determination and dignified response to life’s challenges that will ultimately influence our success.”

The ECA said it stands with the national community in extending its heartfelt condolences to the family, colleagues and employees of Sabga in this very difficult time.

As the Ministry of Health steps up efforts to reclaim T&T from the scourge of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) currently crippling it, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says the Government is committed to doing everything to ensure the next generation is more healthy and fit.

Among the efforts will be the establishment of public outdoor gyms in strategic locations and the introduction of a national physical activity plan specially targeting the elderly and children.

While the funding for these initiatives will come from a US$48.4 million loan with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Deyalsingh said other efforts would be channeled into a massive public education campaign in a bid to transform the mental and physical well-being of the population.

The proposed initiatives will be implemented on a phased basis over a five-year period.

Speaking at the launch of the National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2017-2021 at the Trinidad Hilton yesterday, Deyalsingh said they were even considering a television series on healthy cooking alternatives for the family.

He said this was all in keeping with Government’s thrust to reduce NCD’s and motivate persons to embark on a lifestyle change.

Revealing that he had shocked his communications team when he informed them of his wish to rebrand the Ministry of Health with a new tagline “Healthy Me, Healthy You, Healthy T&T”, Deyalsingh said firm and decisive action was needed now if they were to have a positive impact in transforming behaviour modification.

Claiming that this country’s population was “too sedentary,” Deyalsingh said, “People must not wake up on a morning and take their sugar pill or take their hypertension pill and then sit down for the res t of the day. We have to get the country moving.”

Revealing that he walked everywhere now and had even moved his desk to a counter which required him to stand, Deyalsingh said this was now part of his personal effort to keep fit.

He also urged persons to think carefully before consuming fast foods as despite the affordability and availability, it had long-lasting effects on a person’s health.

Adding that a significant part of the loan would be used to retrain and equip primary healthcare workers with the necessary tools to treat people at the community level, Deyalsingh said the ministry was working towards moving the population away from secondary and tertiary care facilities unless absolutely necessary.

He commended the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) for its initiative to reintroduce home visits as part of its effort to educate persons on their particular illness and the requisite treatment which would not require them to come to the hospital each time.

Hailing T&T as a pioneer in the fight against NCD’s, IDB Chief Operations officer Carina Cockburn said 80 per cent of all deaths in T&T were attributable to NCD’s.

As the country with the highest NCD rate in the Americas, Cockburn said over 50 per cent of the population aged 15 - 64 years were overweight or obese - with rates of overweight and obesity in school children aged five to 18 having increased from 11 per cent in 1999 to 23 per cent in 2009.

She added that over the same ten year period, obesity in children increased by 400 per cent from 2.4 per cent to 12.5 per cent.

Cockburn said it was a similar development since 1980 regarding the prevalence of diabetes in T&T which had increased by 350 per cent, from four per cent to current estimates of 14.5 per cent.

Acknowledging the gravity of the situation as highlighted by the figures above, Cockburn said, “We often forget the human and emotional side of NCD’s.”

She added, “The truth of the matter is that NCD’s are non-discriminatory, affecting people of every ethnicity and economic status, plaguing our loved ones and disrupting the social fabric of our families and communities.”

Claiming that NCD’s were preventable in many instances, Cockburn said, “The loan programme will provide funding support to implement key activities set out in the NCD Strategic Plan with an emphasis on using evidence based solutions to improve access to preventative, screening, promotive, and curative services.”

In addition, the loan will also seek to empower individuals and communities to control, improve and maintain their health to ensure the next generation of Trinbagonians are healthier than the previous.

The woman accused of making a false report about being kidnapped by three men, kept captive in a house for three days, then locked in a car trunk, has pleaded not guilty to wasting police time.

Reshma Maharaj, 30, of Rochard Road, Penal, returned to the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesterday, a day after she was  charged and granted $15,000 bail by a justice of the peace.

Maharaj, a secretary, made the kidnapping report to police on Monday after they found her on the M2 Ring Road where she claimed her abductors had left her bound and gagged in a car trunk.

She claimed she managed to free herself by kickeing out the back seat and crawling out of the car.

Maharaj told police she was driving along the M2 Ring Road last Friday morning when a vehicle pulled in front of her, three men came out, grabbed her and forced her into their vehicle. She claimed she was kept captive in a house, then left in the car trunk.

Following inquires into her claims, police arrested her on Tuesday.

The charge agaunst Maharaj is that on Monday, at M2 Ring Road, La Romaine, she caused wasteful employment of the police by knowingly making a false report to PC Trevor Rampersad that she had been kidnapped by three men.

After Fourth Court Magistrate Gloria Jasmath read the charge to Maharaj and she pleaded not guilty, the magistrate said she wanted to revisit bail.

In making a fresh bail application, attorney Shaun Teekasingh, who held for attorney Subhas Panday, said Maharaj lived with her parents, worked as a secretary and had no previous convictions or pending matters.

Court prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie asked for reasonable bail. He said police officers spent two days investigating Maharaj’s case.

 The magistrate increased bail to $20,000 and placed Maharaj’s mother as surety. Maharaj was kept in custody until her bail bond was processed.

The case was adjourned to May 9.

A 40-year-old construction worker was followed to his workplace yesterday and shot dead.

His killing came after he and one of his relatives received several death threats over the past few weeks.

According to a police report, at about 8.45 am the body of Carlos Gregoir was discovered lying on the ground between two vehicles— a blue Toyota Corolla and a three-tonne Kia truck, in the parking lot of Building 9 in Maloney.

His body was clad in a multicoloured jersey and a pair of three-quarter cream coloured pants and a pair of sneakers.

An investigating officer said that Gregoir worked at the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and was recently transferred to work in the Maloney area.

Investigations are continuing.

Yesterday, staff were told by their respective department heads that management was revisiting the decision to have them contribute towards the purchase of supplies and they would be updated as soon as possible.

But the T&T Guardian was told that since two weeks ago, there has been no drinking water at the dispensers and staff have been coming to work with their own water. Sometimes, they say, there isn’t enough toilet paper and paper towels in the wash rooms.

On Tuesday, acting comptroller of accounts Karen Seebaran-Timothy issued an internal memo to staff stating that the Treasury had no funds to purchase the items. It was proposed that water filters be installed in the kitchen area as a long-term solution to having to purchase water for the dispensers. However, she said this would take some time to be done as this was also at a cost. She said they would also have to get quotations before purchasing and installing the filters.

It was then suggested that staff in each section contribute towards the purchase of water with the cost of a bottle being at $20. The memo noted that other ministries and department staff were contributing to the purchase of water, but if the Treasury staff was not in agreement with the proposal, each employee would be responsible for his or her supply of water, toilet paper and paper towels.

Up to late yesterday, the Ministry of Finance, nor Finance Minister Colm Imbert responded to questions from the Guardian.

“Find a job that you like and you never have to work one day in your life.”

These were the words of Chairman Emeritus of the ANSA McAL Group Dr Anthony N Sabga, which his son, A Norman Sabga, reflected on yesterday as the family mourned his passing at the age of 94.

In a brief statement sent to staff of the ANSA MCAL Group via email, A Norman Sabga, the Group Chairman and chief executive, said: “It is with great sadness that I advise you of the passing of our beloved Chairman Emeritus Dr Anthony N Sabga, ORTT.”

Sabga said his concern was always with the welfare of the ANSA family “of which every one of you are a part.”

He said, “We will always remember him as a devoted family man, a colleague, a leader, a visionary and one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the twentieth century.”

Chairman Sabga said some would have interacted with his father in various ways while others would have known him “through his legendary business acumen.”

“His family, all of us, will remember him as straightforward, a sincere and passionate leader, devoted friend and mentor to those who needed his assistance.”

Chairman Sabga said “never having lost his humility, Dr Sabga encountered people of all backgrounds, regardless of race or gender and even at the age of 94 was still able to impart knowledge to those who were around him.

“We will never forget his word, ‘Find a job that you like and you never have to work one day in your life.’ He certainly did and we hope that the lessons of his life, of persistence, hard work, generosity, care for the less fortunate, honour and respect for all persons will live on in each of us.”

In a release, ANSA McAL said Dr Sabga emigrated from Syria to Trinidad and Tobago in 1930 and began his business career in his father’s business - NS Sabga and Sons, and from those humble beginnings became one of the most innovative and successful businessmen in the region.

The company pointed out that Dr Sabga was also a major supporter of the University of the West Indies and the group founded the ANSA McAL Centre for Psychological Research.

Dr Sabga leaves to mourn his wife Miverva and children Linda, Norman, Joann, David, Donna and Andrew and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements and special memorial service for employees of the ANSA McAL Group, celebrating the life and legacy of Dr Sabga, will be announced shortly.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has extended condolences to the family of Dr Anthony Norman Sabga, who passed away yesterday morning at the age of 94 with family at his bedside.

Reflecting on Sabga’s successful career as an entrepreneur and businessman in a release yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister noted that “Anthony is an example to all of us, of the heights that can be achieved through determination, foresight and an unwavering pursuit of excellence.

“His achievements as one of our country’s top businessmen are complemented by his desire to give back to his adopted country, as evidenced by his establishment of the ANSA McAL Foundation and the Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

“As a business visionary, philanthropist, husband and father, Anthony Norman Sagba has distinguished himself as a dedicated citizen of T&T whose legacy will live on not only in this country but also the wider Caribbean. May he rest in peace and may his family be comforted in the knowledge his was a life well lived.”

Also in a release yesterday, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the vision, determination and sagacity of Sabga will continue to inspire generations to come.

“I was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Dr Anthony Norman Sabga, ORTT, founder and Chairman Emeritus of the ANSA McAL Group of Companies,” Persad-Bissessar said.

“Dr Sabga’s life story is truly inspiring, as he came from humble beginnings and meticulously built a business empire over the course of several decades, becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the Caribbean.

“I recall a statement he made, which aptly reflects his approach: “Honesty, integrity and determination to succeed – these values have served me very well. I was never afraid to make any decision, whether right or wrong. Very often, however, a decision is made and it has to be shaped into success. So the determination to succeed is a key factor.”

She said Sabga loved T&T and the Caribbean and as a way of giving back to the people of the region, he “conceptualised and introduced the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence, which seeks to recognise the achievements of Caribbean people in the areas of arts, sciences and public and civic work.”

Persad-Bissessar noted that he was presented with this county’s highest award, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2011, conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of the West Indies in 1998 and was presented with the keys to the city of Port-of-Spain in 2016 for his contribution to society.

“He will be warmly remembered for his generous spirit and his commitment to helping young people advance in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership,” she said.

“Dr Sabga’s passing is a great loss to T&T and the region, but I’m certain that his vision, determination and sagacity will continue to inspire generations to come. On behalf of the members of the Opposition, I extend my condolences to Dr Sabga’s family, friends and employees of the ANSA McAL Group of Companies.”

The Health Ministry’s HIV Co-ordinating Unit has recognised there is inadequate programmes on HIV/Aids to target disabled people.

Disabled  people must also be included in appropriate sex and reproductive healthcare and education initiatives, urged deputy permanent secretary in the Social Development Ministry,  Dennis Williams.

He was speaking at the launch of a puberty, sex and sexuality informational DVD compiled by the Digicel Foundation in partnership with the Caribbean Kids and Families Therapy Organisation.

The non-profit organisation provides therapy to children with disabilities.

The foundation has  invested $119,000 into the  programme which was introduced in 2015 via a series of lectures but it was taken a step further yesterday through the launch of a video.

Williams said in 2015 and 2016 the ministry conducted sensitisation programmes on HIV to the disabled and similar initiatives were expected to be rolled out this year.

“Young persons with disabilities must enjoy the same rights, opportunities and access the same information as their peers.

“At the ministry we are keenly aware that persons with disabilities need to be included in appropriate sex and reproductive healthcare and education initiatives ,” Williams said.

Desha Clifford, director of the Digicel Foundation, said while it was often considered taboo worldwide, sex education was extremely important to anyone’s development, especially those with special needs.

Toni Betaudier,  educational psychologist working with the organisation, said sexual abuse was prevalent in T&T’s  society and children with disabilities were particularly vulnerable.

She said there were many myths surrounding sexuality and disability adding:

“We do  know that in spite of having a disability children will grow  up, their bodies will mature and they will develop feelings that are strange and new.

“ Just as we prepare them for other aspects of life, it is our duty to prepare them for their sexual development.”

Betaudier said while talking about sex was uncomfortable it was even more so for children with disabilities.

“Persons with disabilities have unique needs that have to be accounted for when having conversations about physical and emotional development,” she said.

The high incidences of teenage pregnancies, Betaudier said, and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as the prevalence of sexual abuse in communities highlighted the need for increased education for children.

Three questions totalling four marks are to be removed from the exam marking scheme scripts of this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam, after irregularities in the maths and language a rts components were “flagged” yesterday.

The irregularities were said to have occurred during the production of the exam scripts and Education Minister Anthony Garcia will discuss the issue when his team hands over the exam scripts to officials of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) today.

Garcia made the comment yesterday as he applauded all officials who worked hard to ensure the smooth administration of the SEA exam yesterday. The errors were the only issues related to the exam, he said at a hastily-arranged press conference at the ministry’s Port-of-Spain head office, hours after the exam for 18,240 primary school students concluded at 546 centres across both islands.

Garcia admitted the irregularities could very well have caused some “undue stress” among the students and their parents. In the interest of transparency and fair play, Garcia assured that the removal of the three questions would not impact students’ performance nor hamper anyone from scoring total marks in each of the three sections.

Many students polled yesterday agreed the maths was “challenging,” while the language arts was “easy” and the creative writing was “nice.”

CXC is responsible for the preparation of the exam while the MOE is tasked with its administration.

By 4 pm yesterday, chief education officer Harrilal Seecharan said they had begun collecting the exam scripts for packaging before CXC collected them to take back to Barbados today.

He explained, “In the mathematics paper, we had one question where the dimension of a triangle was switched. In looking at the question, we found it would not have made a difference to the answer.”

However, he said, “In the language arts paper, there were two questions which required words to be underlined to facilitate the responses of students. The underlines were left out and that would have impacted on how students responded.”

With mechanisms in place to address such occurrences, Seecharan added, “These three items in the exam will be dealt with utilising a standard procedure which CXC will utilise in that any item in the exam which may put students at a disadvantage will not be scored.

“I want to assure students and parents that those concerns which were raised with us through our monitors will be addressed and they can be assured that no student will be put at a disadvantage.”

Pressed to say if ministry officials did not review the script before it is presented to student, Seecharan said, “We have a process where reviews are done by the ministry. However, no one in the ministry sees the final version of the test so that we were only aware of any issue after the exams were opened at the level of the school.”

Saying such irregularities have occurred in other exams, Seecharan said there were procedures in place to address these situations.

Urging the students to relax and enjoy the nine-weeks ahead of them now, both Garcia and Seecharan appealed to parents to send children to school as activities have been planned to help them transition from primary to secondary school.

Garcia said it was important to ensure that students do not feel “like they lost out,” as they had invested many hours of study and hard work and now needed to feel “comforted and not disadvantaged.”

Asked about the probability that a make-up exam might be on the cards, Seecharan said, “When we talk about removing items from a test, part of the review process also involves looking at how students perform. If it is felt that students are disadvantaged in any way, then there are statistical adjustments that can be done.”