Investigators are using footage from close circuit television cameras to help them find those responsible for dumping twin stillborn babies at Forres Park landfill site in Claxton Bay on Wednesday.

The tiny bodies of the girl and boy were discovered around 7 am by a scavenger who went to investigate what a corbeaux was pecking on. When he walked closer he saw a baby's foot protruding from a soiled grey blanket. He then found the body of a second baby.

Also responded to the horrific incident, the Children's Association has appealed to parents who are unable to care for their children to seek help.

"The Authority, which is responsible for the care and protection of children, believes that every child should be given the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential. Parents and guardians are entrusted with the responsibility to provide a loving, nurturing and safe environment for their children. However, when expectant mothers and fathers are uncertain about their ability to care for their unborn child, they are invited to contact the Authority to explore their options, in a confidential and nonjudgmental environment," according to a release.

The Authority also appealed to other parents who are concerned that their children are not receiving the best possible care to also contact the organisation.

The Authority also reminded the public that alternative family options such as adoption and foster care can only be arranged by the Authority which can be contacted at 996 or 800-2014. An autopsy on the bodies at the Forensic Science Centre was inconclusive. The police have been checking with health centres, hospitals and private clinics to determine whether any of the pregnant women, especially those expecting twins, were due to give birth around this time.

Investigators have also appealed to members of the public who may have any information about the parents of the babies or those responsible for discarding the babies bodies to come forward.

Government is expected to move swiftly ahead in clamping down on land fraud by introducing a new law that will make it compulsory for an owner to register their parcels of land.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi during his address at the T&T Transparency Institute's (TTTI) 2017 Anti-Corruption Conference (ACC 2017).

The conference — under the theme "Breaking Free from a Culture of Corruption —took place at the Hilton Trinidad.

The law, according to Al-Rawi, proposes to criminalise the failure to register a deed of title.

"The proceeds of crime and corruption…cash…businesses…land. Investment in fronted businesses, where you don't know who the real owner is because the beneficial ownership is not certain because you only know the legal owner," Al-Rawi said.

He said there is an abuse of land trusts because of the fact that there is no mandatory provision in T&T's laws that land trusts must be done by way of deed, therefore registered.

Al Rawi said that in addition to land trusts being registered, deeds must be registered within 12 months and if this cannot be done then the landowner would have to go to the Registry and explain why.

"Tell them why…if it is stamp duty taking long or somebody died…let the Registrar consider the application for the extension of the time and if the Registrar says no then go to the High Court for due process," Al-Rawi said.

Government Senator Dr Lester Henry has been ordered to pay former Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran $550,000 in compensation for defamation.

In a 29-page judgment delivered in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday, Justice Devindra Rampersad ruled that Henry defamed Rambarran while he was a guest on a talk show programme on i95.5 FM on July 9, 2014.

The statements made by Henry described repair works done on Rambarran's private residence in Valsayn during his tenure, which Henry claimed were done using Central Bank funds.

Rampersad ruled that because Henry had no evidence to substantiate his claims, he was not entitled to claim the defences of fair comment and that the issue was a matter of public importance.

"The defendant's conduct has been less than would have been expected from someone of his stature and position," Rampersad said.

Rampersad also criticised Henry for willfully failing to disclose the official recording of the programme, which was provided by the station and was vital to the case. He also noted that Henry, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, failed to properly investigate the allegations before stating them on the programme.

Testifying in the trial of the case in May, Henry admitted that he had issues with Rambarran's appointment as he felt that he was the "least qualified" for the job.

He admitted that he received information about the repair works but did not have the resources to investigate its authenticity and that he merely called for an investigation into the issue.

Rambarran denied any wrongdoing as admitted that repair works were done to his house while he lived in the bank's official residence for six months, but noted that those repairs were done at his personal expense. He stated that he decided to move back to his private home as living in Port-of-Spain was inconvenient to his children, who attend school in east Trinidad.

He stated that the only work done at the bank's expense was the construction of a security booth and installation of security cameras at the cost of $250,000, which was approved by the bank's board.

In a news release issued yesterday afternoon, Rambarran said he was pleased by the outcome.

"Dr Henry went out of his way to falsely and maliciously accuse me of using public funds from the Central Bank, of which I was the Governor at the material time, to pay for repairs to my private home," Rambarran said.

Rambarran was represented by Anand Ramlogan, SC, Richard Jagai and Douglas Bayley, while Henry was represented by Gilbert Peterson, SC, and Ken Wright.

Kallco CEO Roger Ganesh has defended the company owned by his son-in-law Arvin Kalloo, saying they engaged in a competitive tendering process for ther Manzanilla Highway contract like all the other competing firms.

He said Kallco participated in a process that was “extremely rigorous, even more rigorous than in the past, you need to have a lot of bonds in place assets etcetera, we tendered competitively and we qualified at all levels, technically and financially.” He added they “participated in a very fair and very transparent process” and won the bid “fairly and squarely.”

He dismissed allegations that the company got the contract because of its relationship with Sinanan, saying “the Minister had no say, he could not make a recommendation for the contract. This was NIDCO. No Minister gets involved in the process.”

Ganesh said while “mauvais langue, gossip and bad talk is the norm” in this country, he wanted people to “stop the unfair criticism because it is dangerous.”

He said: “I have my family, children and grandchildren, and when people say things it bothers me a lot.”

Ganesh, who was the longest serving director of highways in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and retired in 2014, admitted that Kallco was terminated from the Maracas Bay project, but he said this was “not because the company could not do the job,” but because of the failure of the engineering firm retained by the Ministry of Tourism, which he said “failed in administering and managing the project” properly.

As concerns mount about Kallco being awarded a $400 million contract for the first phase of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway extension to Manzanilla, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday admitted one of his relative is married to one of the company’s owners.

However, he assured there was “no nepotism” in the award process and said he recused himself from Cabinet’s decision and before the contract was awarded he told Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the Cabinet of his “conflict of interest.”

“Before that I informed the Prime Minister and Cabinet that I am recusing myself because I have a conflict. This was due to the fact that a relative of mine is related to Kallco. I would have recused myself from the process,” he told the T&T Guardian in a telephone interview.

“It is usually done with many Cabinet ministers. Once there is something in front the Cabinet that has a conflict you have to recuse yourself. In this case, … knowing that Cabinet was looking to award or not to award. I recused myself and left the room.”

He said the contract was an open tender by the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) where six companies - China Railway, Coosal’s, Junior Sammy, General Earth Movers, Namalco and Kallco -, submitted tenders. After Nidco submitted its recommendations to the ministry, Sinanan said it went to Cabinet for approval.

Sinanan steered clear of identifying the relative but said they were “married to Kallco,” noting T&T is a small country.

“It was an open tender where everybody was entitled to bid. The bid goes through a vigorous exercise. So if anybody is related to me, they can’t be a contractor?” Sinanan asked, again pointing out he had no say in the evaluation process nor “did I take any part in the decision to award.”

Kallco’s managing director is Arvin Kalloo.

At Tuesday’s sod turning ceremony for the highway, at which Kallo was present, Rowley said he hoped the decision to award Kallco the contract would motivate other local contractors to bid for State projects. He added that the tendering process to award the contract was “robust and rigid.”

Sinanan meanwhile said Kallco has been operating in the country for over 15 years.

In 2016, Kallco had its contract for the upgrade of the Maracas facility terminated after public complaints about the length of time the project was taking to be completed. Sinanan opted not to comment about this yesterday.

Also contacted yesterday, Nidco chairman Herbert George said when Nidco first tendered for 14 kilometres of the 33-kilometre long Manzanilla highway, six firms in total submitted bids.

“The tender sum of the preferred contractor was $1.8 billion, which we felt was excessive. This exceeded our budget then.”

George said Nidco terminated the tender process in January and re-tendered for five kilometres of highway using an open process, where six firms again responded, one of which was Kallco.

“The total tender packages ranged from $401.3 million as the lowest figure to $584.8 million as the highest,” he said.

He said the difference between the two lowest bids was $111 million, “whereas when we tendered for the 14 kilometres the cost per kilometre was $128.6 million.”

When Nidco worked out the cost per kilometre in the second tender it was $80.2 million, he said.

Asked about criticism of Nidco and Government for awarding Kallco the contract, especially given that it was under Sinanan’s purview, George said they could not blacklist Kallco since there was no evidence or reason to suggest that they should not tender for Government jobs.

“Nidco will monitor the project zealously and ensure quality work is done,” George promised.

If Kalloo fails to deliver, George said there are clauses in the contract which allow them to terminate it.

But president of the T&T Contractors Association Ramlogan Roopnarinesingh told Guardian Media Ltd that “the lowest price is not always the best price.”

Calls to Kalloo’s cellphone went straight to voice mail yesterday, while a message left at his St Helena’s office was not returned.

The T&T Red Cross Society is refuting reports that there is no proper co-ordination or communication to ensure specific and urgent needs are met for the various islands affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

In fact, disaster management coordinator at the T&T Red Cross Society Stephan Kishore says stakeholder meetings are held every week between the organisation and the different countries so they are keep abreast of the islands’ needs.

He said when items are brought into the Red Cross by NGOs, every items is catalogued and documented.

“Items being shipped to the various islands must also be properly documented not only by us, but also by the Customs and Excise Division and when the goods arrive in the affected countries officials of those counties must also keep an inventory of what is being brought in.

“This information is also channelled to the Red Cross so we can have a clear picture of what is being distributed and what is still and immediately needed,” Kishore said.

He said the Red Cross perspective was not just helping but also lending support, adding that the International Federation of Red Cross has also been assisting Dominica by providing tarpaulin, foodstuff and non-food items.

Regarding reports of a donation overkill, Kishore said this was not the case as water and food, for instance, will always be in demand due to the devastation caused on some islands, in particular Dominica.

“The Red Cross will never say there is an overkill of a donation of items because people will always need things like water, food and hygiene products and the idea is to try to meet the demand,” Kishore said.

“When we send relief this month, what is going to happen in the next three or four months? People will still be in need because in the instance of Dominica there was total devastation and therefore jobs will not be something immediately available.

“There is always a need for hygiene products especially to prevent disasters like cholera.”

Twelve mental health specialists from Trinidad and Tobago are to travel to Dominica to assist the psychiatric team on the island in helping the population, which officials say remains in a state of shock following the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

Consultant psychiatrist at Dominica’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Griffin Benjamin, told a news conference in Roseau yesterday that the government “had accepted an offer from 12 mental health specialists, we call them the trauma specialist team from Trinidad and Tobago, who have offered to join us to help in response to this disaster.”

Among those who will need psychological help, he said, were medical personnel who had been working round the clock since the hurricane struck.

Benjamin said the governments of Dominica and T&T were working to gets the 12 experts to Dominica. He said after Tropical Storm Erica, eight of the same 12-member team had also gone to Dominica and “they were of tremendous value to the Dominican population.”

Benjamin said while many people have been coming to terms with the destruction and the loss of life, “we predict it will get worse before it gets better” and it was in that light they had accepted the offer from the Trinidad trauma team.

Ten days after the hurricane, Benjamin said “many of us are confused and shocked by the damage we witnessed. We just do not know where to start or to begin the process of recovering our lives.”

He warned that in the coming days a “sense of despair and hopelessness will creep in,” but he urged Dominicans not to allow “negative feelings” to overcome them.

“Let us guard our minds against them, our country will bounce back and we will overcome. We have done it before and will do it again,” he said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Johnson said the real heroes in the hurricane were the medical staff at hospitals who “never stopped working taking care of patients..”

“There was staff when roofs were flying from the hospital, there was staff moving patients from one area to the other, some of the staff never stopped working from Sunday night to today,” Johnson said.

Through the “heroic efforts of those staff doctors, nurses, pharmacists, cleaners, wardsmaids and others,” he said “not a single patient at the Princess Margaret Hospital at the time of the Hurricane Maria lost their lives.”

Medical director at the hospital, Dr Ruby Blanc, said days after the hurricane 17 patients were evacuated to the Dominican Republic and two to Martinique. Their evacuations were necessary because of the severity of their injuries and medical condition, she said.

Meantime, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt said the government will be launching “a cash for work programme, where people across the country will be engaged in clearing and rebuilding.” Those people “will be paid on a weekly basis for their work. The intention is to engage everybody.”

Contacted yesterday, neither Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh nor Secretary of the Psychiatrists Association of T&T Varma Deyalsingh could shed any light on the mental health team.

Police shot and killed three men in separate instances between Wednesday night and yesterday.

In the most recent killing, an off-duty officer shot and killed Leshon Villafana during an attempted robbery of a roulette machine in Arima last evening.

Earlier, officers of the La Horquetta Police Station were on patrol along Cocorite Road, Arima when they responded to a report of a break-in at a bar.

The officers arrived at the scene around 12.30 am and found Nyal Fernandez, 25, and a 32-year-old man, both from Mohagany Trace, Malabar, breaking into New House Side Recreation Club.

Police said the men opened fire on the officers returned fire, killing Fernandez while the other man was arrested unharmed.

In the second incident, officers identified the victim as Tabati Hyland who was wanted for questioning in connection with two murders in the Santa Cruz area.

According to police reports around 7.30 pm officers approached Hyland at Ryan Street, San Juan, when he reportedly opened fire on them. The officers returned fire and Hyland was killed.

Police said Hyland, who lived at La Canoa, Lower Santa Cruz, was linked to the killing of Jason Thomas, of Kingston Avenue, off La Canoa Road, Santa Cruz on September 24. He was also wanted for the murder of Amado Hernandez, 21, of Pipiol Road, Santa Cruz.

Hernandez was killed outside his girlfriend’s home at Sam Boucaud, Santa Cruz on September 18.

The killing of the two men has taken the number of police killings for the year to 37.

Barataria man killed in drive-by

A 27-year-old Barataria man was killed shortly before noon yesterday in a drive-by shooting.

According to police reports, around 11.30 pm Aaron “Son Son” Hillaire was standing along Second Street, Sixth Avenue, Barataria when a car stopped near him and an occupant opened fire before the driver sped off.

Police said Hillaire collapsed in a nearby drain and was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where he was pronounced was dead on arrival.

The murder toll, following Hillaire’s killing, pushed the murder toll to 364 for the year.

I know it may seem a little late to be reading a Christmas wish list while you are choking on your chicken pastelle and reaching desperately for the sorrel. (Why do people make pastelles with this desiccated chicken filling that has the taste and texture of chipboard?) The gift wrapping is already strewn about the living (drawing) room; in only minutes you are going to graduate from the convivial influence of ponche de crème to the combative, unsolicited honesty of Scotch. What place does a wish list have now in the post-Christmas haze of disappointment with gifts that fell very short of the mark and seething acrimony of familial conflict?

The answer to that is quite simple: I jumped the gun with my Christmas column last week so I am stuck. The upshot of that unfortunately for you is that you’re just going to have to force this week’s offering down just like dem sandalwood pastelle. Quite obviously, at the top of my list would be a reduction in crime. I would honestly, in the short term, like to dispense with the onerous protocols of late-night movements. I swear my rearview mirror is going to pop right off in my hands because every time I pull into my driveway the poor device is expected to oscillate in a manner for which it was not designed. There is always the expectation that one of these days I will pick up the reflection of an unmasked bandit crouching behind the crotons just waiting for me to carelessly open my car door and walk into my house as if I am a free man or something. There’s more!

I would like to be able to put out the garbage in the morning without a reconnaissance mission to ensure that the coast is clear. It is not often a task that I undertake because I am actually heading to work at that time but when I do it, this is the play. First I unlock the main door, then scan the vista allowed by the door frame for any stupid bandit hoping for a lucky break right by the primary entrance to the home. Then I unlock the heavy penitentiary grill gate and step tentatively just beyond the doormat to do another check for killers in the garden.
After that there is a brisk walk to the gate to open it; pan left to right to make sure there are no suspicious vehicles waiting to collect the bandits who could be creeping up on me as I am looking down the street. These are just the first steps; then I quickly take the garbage from inside and put it on top of the gate. You get the mindset I am talking about, people! I still look at Steven Seagal movies because I fully expect to absorb some of his a-- kickin’ techniques and try them out on my would-be attackers.

When I am heading out of the house I always ask myself, “Paolo, do you really believe that these rubber ducky slippers will hold up under the strain of being forced into rapid flight at the first sign of a gun-toting killer? Oh and Paolo if, God forbid, they should get a hold of you and there is a scuffle, would it not be worth the trouble to go back into the house and put on a drawers just so that you are not left standing in the middle of the street covering your shrivelled junk with trembling hands? These are the things I cogitate to the point of mania; scenarios play out in my mind like a screenplay session of Hollywood writers.

Even the most outrageous possibility rolls in my head with the urgency of a premonition or even the credibility of history. I want first and foremost my peace back (or some semblance of it). I am glad that the Prime Minister is pissed, but I believe Martin Joseph was pissed too! I want more than a commiserating voice; thankfully the Prime Minister has outlined a plan and I am willing to give this Government the benefit of the doubt that it intends to pursue the objectives of this plan with the kind of aggression that this breed of bandit calls for. Another wish that I have is for the average Trini to understand his and her role in creating the kind of lawful society that we yearn for and compare ourselves ceaselessly to.

Many of us grumble about the miscreants in society who refuse to work but are happy to relieve us of that which we have worked so hard for. How many of us however contribute to an environment in which corruption and iniquity thrive? We have all propped up a culture of lawlessness and now that the ultimate evolutionary result of this culture is raping our mothers and daughters and blasting holes in the chests of the ones we love, we scream bloody murder and ask “what manner of man?” It takes courage and maturity to reckon with one’s shortcomings. I have broken the law and you have broken the law. Yes you, doh watch me so!

In quiet moments I shudder to think what the consequences could have been in instances where I was driving like a total douchebag. Now it pains me to go above 60 miles an hour, even on an open highway. When younger, I would not balk at the idea of paying for a licence, rather than squatting in the sweltering Licensing Office for months on end while people in the line slowly die. I am not offering myself as some self-righteous sage. Indeed, I still have the capacity to be an absolute tool when called upon. I do believe however that we have a responsibility to shape the kind of society that we want to live in. This is a truly beautiful country made horrid by our own apathy and the greed of others. That is it really, my simple Christmas wish: that Trinidad can become once again a place that I once bragged about to friends when I lived in Canada…a unique and wondrous place in spite of our earnest efforts at destruction.

Oh PS: My other Christmas wish is to get a tapeworm so I can start to lose weight,
because this mampie ain’t exercising any time soon.

Operations at the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) garage in San Fernando were shut down yesterday after a worker was injured after he was struck by a bus on the compound.

The worker, a labourer/cleaner, is believed to have suffered a broken leg and is warded at the San Fernando General Hospital.

A representative of the Transport Industrial Workers Union (TIWU), said between 8 am and 8.30 am an electrician was working on the bus because it could not start. The worker, who was injured, was working in front the bus.

He said, "Those buses supposed to have a safety device so it should not start even if it is in a gear. The electrician started the bus and it started to move forward on its own. The electrician tried to alert the guy in front the bus but it had already reach up to him. The electrician jumped into the bus and tried to stop it, but the brakes were not working so he put it in reverse."

He said the bus ended up hitting two other buses. The worker was jammed against a wall by the bus. "He was in plenty pain. No one could move him," he said.

An ambulance subsequently took the injured worker to the hospital.

Complaining about several long-standing health and safety issues at the compound, the union member said, "We (union) went to the garage and we decided to shut down the garage. The workers will not be working until the health and safety issues are addressed." He said this action will have no impact on the travelling public.

Anita Bandoo, PTSC's administrative assistant in the marketing and communications department, said she was not allowed to communicate with the media about the incident and referred all questions to the general manager.

Citizens now have a mobile app which will allow them the ability the contact with the Police Complaints Authority directly in the event they have a report to file against police officers.

The app was launched yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel by the PCA and is available for download on both iOS and android platforms as PCA Trinidad & Tobago.

The app allows for interaction with the PCA with the swipe of a finger and allows for the strictest of confidentiality.

The aim is to get the information to the PCA in the shortest time frame and affording the person who is sharing the information the protection of anonymity if they choose.

Director of the PCA David West, in his address, said the app is the first of its kind in the region and possibly the world.

The app was designed by Intelligent Applications at a cost which West did not disclose, He said the cost was not exorbitant.

In responding to questions from the media, West said the app allows for interface with the PCA with informants giving feedback. He added that the staff of his organisation have been trained to access the information with confidentiality and pass it on to investigators. The user can also attach photographs and videos with their reports if desired.

Deputy Director of the PCA Michelle Solomon-Baksh commenting on how soon the PCA would be able to give feedback on complaints said summary offences such as assault and robbery had a six-month statutory limitation and therefore will be responded to swifter than instances of rape and murder which are indictable offences.

She also highlighted that the purpose of the app was to provide a safe place for the citizens to report police misconduct to the PCA with confidentiality.

Once a report is made the user is issued an identification number that will allow them to track the progress of their report.

The retired clinical director of the Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre has admitted that his former employer administered a radiation overdose to patient Ricardo "Smokey" McKenzie during his treatment for brain cancer in 2009.

Dr Peter Bovell, who held the post between 2011 and last year, made the admission before Justice Mira Dean-Armorer in the Port-of-Spain High Court as he testified in the $20 million medical negligence claim filed by McKenzie's wife over his death.

Bovell admitted that between June 2009 and May 2010 the company's Linear Accelerator radiation machine was miscalibrated.

He confessed that the miscalibration was due to the fact that during the period the centre did not have a senior physicist to calibrate the machine and had to rely on a junior member of staff who was not qualified.

While under cross-examination Bovell said of the 223 patients were affected including McKenzie but only 60 per cent of them displayed symptoms of over radiation.

While under cross-examination from McKenzie's attorney Terrence Bharath, Bovell could not say why the issue was left unchecked for almost a year as he was not in charge of the device at the time.

McKenzie is claiming that her husband was exposed to 20 per cent more radiation than prescribed, while the centre is saying that the overdose was no more than 13.9 per cent.

Bovell denied that McKenzie suffered reoccurring radiation necrosis as a result of the overdose as claimed by Dr Roberto Heros, his neurosurgeon from the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida, who treated him before his death in December 2010.

He also said that the centre had settled claims with all the patients affected except McKenzie and another.

The trial will continue on October 12 when several expert witnesses in the United States are expected to testify via video conferencing.

The Centre is being represented by Neal Bisnath and Ravi Nanga.

State-owned Petrotrin has retained the services of an independent foreign forensic investigator to probe the so-called fake oil scandal. The decision was taken more than six weeks after an internal audit report painted a damning picture of collusion involving an employee and a contractor who supplied crude oil to the company, resulting in an overpayment of close to TT$80 million.

Petrotrin said yesterday that four companies were invited to submit proposals to conduct the forensic audit and after looking at all the proposals the board’s Audit Committee chose Kroll Consulting Canada.

Petrotrin’s internal audit committee first raised the red flag about the close to $80 million over-payment in its report dated August 17 and which was subsequently made public by Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The matter is now the subject of litigation after A&V Oil and Gas owner Nazim Baksh initiated legal action against Persad-Bissessar for making the contents of the interim report public. The company also took issue with public statements by Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet.

Guardian Media and One Caribbean personnel who visited A&V’s San Francique compound while covering the story were also attacked. That matter is now in the hands of the police.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who admits Baksh is his “friend” and that he called him when the report was made public, subsequently condemned the attack on media, but was highly critical of Persad-Bissessar for trying to link him to the issue.

The Petrotrin audit committee found that crude oil supplies from the Catshill Field spiked by over 150 per cent in a ten-month period and that they paid for oil which was never received. It identified an employee who was involved in the process. The employee is now on leave and has since resigned his post as a director of a state board.

The audit report, which has been questioned by the contractor, has been the subject of internal investigations by the company and a report was submitted to Energy Minister Franklin Khan with findings and recommendations.

On Tuesday, the Petrotrin board is reported to have met and discussed the issue.

The T&T Guardian was told by well placed sources that there was concern the internal report had been turned into a “political football” and had become “mired” in what was described by one director as “a political mess.”

It was eventually felt that an external investigator would bring some semblance of “cleanness” to the process and the board accepted the recommendation of its audit committee to engage Kroll to conduct a forensic investigation into the internal audit report of overage/shortage of crude oil volumes from its Exploration and Production Division to the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

Kroll will begin its work on Monday and will report to the board’s Audit Committee on all aspects of its investigation.

The Canadian team has been mandated to conduct a forensic audit into the audit report; find and verify the facts in relation to the report and depending on its findings, is being asked to “identify any relevant parties or entities from the standpoints of accountability and culpability.”

Based on its findings, Kroll is being asked to “identify any systemic inadequacies or short comings which may have contributed to the findings.”
 

A heart-wrenching plea by Rachael Sukhdeo, wife of Sheron Sukhdeo, was enough to ensure a magistrate let the millionaire car dealer free on charges of breaching a three-year protection order.

However, before freeing Sukhdeo, Magistrate Wendy Dougdeen-Bally told his wife a leopard does not change his spots.

She told the crying woman, who had secured the protection order one month after she was allegedly assaulted by her husband last year, that she would instruct police to charge her with wasting police time if she ever reneges on her police complaints again.

This was the second time Rachael had forced the termination of a case initiated by her.

In February last year, Sukhdeo appeared in court for allegedly assaulting his wife.

The case was dismissed eight months later after Sukhdeo said she no longer wanted to pursue the matter.

Sukhdeo was again charged in May this year for allegedly breaking a three-year order barring him from coming into contact with his wife physically or verbally abusing her. That protection order was granted by Magistrate Joanne Connor in March last year. His assault case against his wife was dismissed in October.

Sukhdeo is also currently before the courts charged with receiving two stolen vehicles and is on $200,000 bail.

When the case was called in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Rachael, accompanied by attorney Ian Brooks, cried openly in court saying she had forgiven her husband, who had to move out the family’s Orchard Gardens, Chaguanas mansion due to the order.

Police officers close to the case said the matter could still have been prosecuted despite her appeal, adding that in domestic cases some officers will not force a victim to testify if they don’t want to. But an officer said if a victim does not want justice for themselves there is very little the police can do.

Honest, professional story telling lies at the heart of good journalism.

But coupled with this there must be ongoing training and upgrading of resources for journalists, especially in the digital age.

This was the view of CNN Senior Vice President of International News-gathering, TV and Digital, Deborah Rayner, as she delivered the keynote address at the T&T Guardian’s Journalism Conference, titled Journalism in the Digital Age, at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Noting that the T&T Guardian had turned 100 this September, Rayner said the paper was now in an exciting time as there were tremendous opportunities, like a variety of social media platforms, to reach more audiences.

“We are in the middle of a huge experiment. I don’t think anybody can predict what the next opportunity would be. The industry has changed and we have to change also. Honest, professional, solid journalism is at the root of it all,” Rayner said.

Regarding the impact of social media, she said more than 60 per cent of people in the United States now take their news from a mobile device.

Saying it was important that media houses “go to the audience instead of the audience going to them,” Rayner added, “We have to experiment with a lot of different platforms. We have to invest in new technology and quite often new staff. The core of this is our journalists. They have to be trained and multi-skilled to survive and if you have regulations to prevent this then that has to change.”

On new forms of story telling, Rayner said audiences crave additional details but this must also entail transparency.

“Once you have engaged the audience don’t forget to tell the story. In the instances of the hurricanes which many islands have just experienced, the real stories now are the follow-ups ... the rebuild,” Rayner said.

Speaking earlier, GML board chairman Peter Clarke said the Guardian’s centenary should not just be celebrated but should also include meaningful contributions to society.

“As we look at the future of Guardian Media, we see a media world that is exciting and challenging,” Clarke said.

He said it was exciting because the digital revolution had opened up a number of opportunities to shape a new media landscape. However, he added it was challenging because this new digital landscape was transforming the economic model of the industry and bringing with it numerous issues with which to grapple.

“For instance, while it effectively allows anyone to become a virtual one person media house, it also brings the dangers of fake news or unfiltered hatred, given the lack of curation or editing,” Clarke said.

But he said if well understood and used, journalism in the digital age could be an incredibly powerful force for good.

“It can lead to a more creative and bolder type of journalism, help force increased transparency and it can have the ability to hold those in power to account more effectively,” Clarke added.

Digital media consultant Nic Newman says traditional media companies risk losing relevance unless they put digital at the heart of what they do.

Speaking at T&T Guardian’s Journalism Conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, Newman said the smart phone was currently the key device of the digital age and should be the focus of today’s strategy.

However, he said while it is important to embrace new formats and strategies, staying true to core values and mission statements was just as significant.

GML board member Davan Maharaj, a former head of the LA Times, said it had become clear that the definition of news had changed over the years, adding that audiences themselves have also helped to shape news by stating what they were interested in. But he said young people had the most impact on determining what was news.

Saying all newsrooms had to adapt to new forms of story telling, Maharaj said there have been instances where there was resistance to this.

“But the ones who have adapted have positioned themselves to survive,” Maharaj said.

Asked by Guardian Media Head of News Shelly Dass what could be the contributory factors to such resistance, Newman said some feared losing their jobs, adding that it was important to take away such fear from journalists.

Guardian Media Managing Director Lucio Mesqita, who echoed similar sentiments, said one of the biggest financial risks to print journalism was complacency in the digital age and urged journalists to embrace change.

Regarding specialist journalists, Adrian Van Klaveren, British broadcasting executive at the BBC, said this quality came from people who really knew how to be a specialist journalist.

On the issue of collaboration among journalists, American-born journalist and former executive director of the International Press Institute (IPI), Alison Bethel, said the Caribbean region could become stronger if there were such collaborative efforts, but noted such a decision must come from either top or middle management.

The issue of anonymity of sources was also brought to the fore, as questions were raised regarding the protection of anonymous sources.

American broadcast journalist and former CNN correspondent and anchor Jim Clancy said journalists have a responsibility to analyse whether a source first needs to be anonymous.

“Or is it just convenient for them to remain anonymous,” Clancy said.

During the conference, discussions also centred on a range of topics which included, “Original Journalism: Investigations, Data Mining, Crowd Sourcing...What Next?” and “Pitfalls and Profits: How can journalism be profitable in the digital era?”

After spending more than nine years in jail awaiting trial for killing her abusive and adulterous husband, stroke-stricken Jassodra Jagmohan, 63, was finally reunited with her family yesterday when she was set free.

Claiming her actions were spurred on by years of physical and mental abuse, Jagmohan, who was initially charged with murder, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the San Fernando High Court to the lesser count of manslaughter.

A frail looking, grey-haired Jagmohan, whose right hand was in a sling, managed to muster a smile for photos, but seemed to be in a state of disbelief at the decision.

Unable to form her words properly, she whispered “very hap..py” when asked by reporters how she felt to be freed.

Being incarcerated for all those years “was not easy” said Jagmohan, who said she prayed for her freedom and to be reunited with her two daughters.

The abuse meted out to Jagmohan by her husband Jagindranan, 57, his flagrant infidelity, her age, health and period of incarceration were among the things considered by Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor as she decided Jagmohan’s sentence.

“This has been a trial of law and emotion,” said the judge.

Notwithstanding their measured faces, she said they were all human beings and it was “impossible for emotions to remain dormant.”

According to the facts agreed between the attorneys, the plan to kill her husband was hatched with her cousin at the Penal Market about a month and a half prior to the killing. However, he was never charged. Jagmohan paid her cousin $1,000 to kill her husband, also called Rex.

On the night of June 23, 2007, the cousin went to their home with a two-foot long plastic strap.

Jagmohan’s husband had taken medication which incapacitated him. Jagmohan watched as her husband was dragged into a car purportedly owned by her cousin and that was the last time she saw him alive.

The next day Jagmohan went to the Homicide office in San Fernando and reported her husband left home that morning to go jogging and didn’t return. Her husband was subsequently found strangled at Clarke Road, Penal.

Homicide detectives went to her home on January 3, 2008 to obtain information. Jagmohan, who was not a suspect then, voluntarily went to the Homicide office where she admitted to being part of a plan to “mash up” her husband. Jagmohan, however, told the officers she was sorry and had only agreed with her cousin to kill her husband because she was frustrated, angry, hurt and ashamed. She told police her husband physically and emotionally abused her since 1998 and was involved in at least two extramarital affairs up to the time of his death. Jagmohan was released by a magistrate following the preliminary inquiry, but was rearrested on a judge’s warrant some months later.

Asking the judge to discharge her, attorney Michael Rooplal, who together with Prakash Ramadhar represented her, said, “She has spent a lifetime on remand.”

He said her medical reports would show she suffered numerous strokes in jail and her health had rapidly deteriorated.

He added, “She is in the category of a battered woman. This would have played a major role in her participation in the killing of her husband.”

Described a model inmate, Rooplal said the mother of two and grandmother of four did not have a criminal past. He also provided testimonials from Jagmohan’s daughters, who live in the Canada and Saudi Arabia.

In passing sentence, the judge said had the matter gone to trial and the accused opted to use the Battered Woman Syndrome defence, if accepted by the jury, she would have been found guilty of manslaughter. The judge’s sentence starting point was 16 years, but after taking everything into consideration, it was reduced to nine years and four months. However, Jagmohan would have already served that time incarcerated. After discharging her, the judge said, “Good luck. You can go home, hope you enjoy the rest of your life.”

Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC, who was given a fiat to prosecute, said justice was not only done in this case, but was also seen to be done. Relatives of Jagmohan and her husband were present in court.

Clive Pantin, who wore many hats, including politician, educator, national sportsman and philanthropist, died yesterday at age 84. His funeral will be held at 11 am on Tuesday at the St Theresa’s RC Church and will be officiated by the current principal of Fatima College, Fr. Gregory Augustine

In 1973, Pantin became Fatima College’s first lay principal.

His son, veteran journalist Bernard Pantin, who is expected to deliver the eulogy at the funeral, said his father lived a “very full” life.

“He has had such a wide and varied life which is something we are all very proud of because it was very full when you look at all the different things that he did,” the younger Pantin said.

“We are very proud of the outpouring of comments from people, it is sad in its own way but it was testament to who he was and we are all very appreciative of what people think,.”

Education Minister Anthony Garcia, who like Pantin also held the post Fatima College principal before eventually becoming a Cabinet member, described his predecessor as a stalwart .

Between 1986 to 1991 Pantin served as a senator with the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) and was Education Minister.

“Mr Pantin, over the years, had established himself as a stalwart in education and in general, a true patriot of Trinidad and Tobago. With a stellar career in education spanning from the first lay principalship of Fatima College and subsequently assuming the office of Minister of Education, Mr Pantin will be remembered for his willingness to serve and his commitment to all people,” Garcia said.

Garcia described Pantin’s passing as “a loss that cannot be measured or explained.”

“The work and commitment of men like Clive Pantin are an example that all our young people should strive to emulate,” he said.

Pantin was the founder of the Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life (FEEL) which became an effective vehicle to assist in the alleviation of poverty and hunger throughout the country. FEEL was recently engaged by the Education Ministry to support its hurricane relief efforts, Garcia said.

Before making his name as a principal, politician and philanthropist, Pantin attended St Mary’s College. He also played football for the national team from 1957 to 1962 and represented the country in hockey.

As a mark of respect, a minute’s silence was held before kick off at all Secondary School Football League games yesterday. Pantin was described as an “avid supporter of the SSFL”.

Former Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran said it was because of Pantin that his mother insisted he attend Fatima College.

“My lasting memories of Mr. Clive Pantin are that of an exemplary teacher, leader and patriot. He was a towering figure of strength, who never waned in his support and love for his students, family, and the less fortunate in our society,” Rambarran said.

Opposition Senator Dr Bhoe Tewarie took to social media to offer condolences to the Pantin family on the loss of “an illustrious son of T&T who gave much and cared.”

As Finance Minister Colm Imbert prepares to present his third budget tomorrow, he will be faced with a worrying gap between what Government earns and what it spends. Projections put the gap at $10 billion for the current fiscal year, ending on September 30.

For some specialists, it is time for Imbert to take decisive action if he is to make sure the government has a credible fiscal policy and that markets have confidence in its ability to steer the country through these difficult times.

For senior lecturer at the University of West Indies, Dr Roger Hosein, the deficit can be seen as a sign of weak governance, increasing the risk that confidence in the economy drops and investments are stifled.

Former minister in the Ministry of Finance, Mariano Browne, says now is the time for Imbert to take decisive action. For Browne, the Minister of Finance has been “playing for time, hoping for an increase in energy prices and gas output”.

“We are in a period where the adjustment process is long, this could take at least ten years. This is survival, so we need to determine what is critical for our survival, what are our priorities, and those are the things that the government has not begun to address that’s why I call it a menu of fudge,” Browne said.

The situation may be more critical as the government’s revenue projections presented at mid-term review may have been too optimistic. According to Hosein, last fiscal year the state generated $44.01 billion in revenue and, for the current year, it has projected a total of $48 million.

For Hosein, the problem is that, if this fiscal year’s tax collection pattern is similar to last year’s, with the period from October to March representing 45 per cent of the revenue, T&T may be heading to a considerable shortfall.

“For the corresponding period October 2016 to March 2017 the State only collected $16 billion in fiscal revenues and, if one were to again assume that this will stand for 45 per cent of all Government revenue to be collected for fiscal year 2016/17, then this interprets that for this fiscal year the State would realise a mere $36.8 billion in revenues,” Hosein said. That would leave the government over $10 billion short of its forecast.

The problems for Government do not stop there.

At the start of the current fiscal year, the balance of the country’s Consolidated Fund, Government’s main bank account, was $29.5 billion in the red, at least an improvement on the previous year’s $33 billion gap.

In his mid-year budget review on May 10, Imbert said the reality currently facing the country is “how to run an economy accustomed to $57 billion in expenditure on $37 billion in tax revenue”.

The challenge for Government, according to Hosein, is that even if expenditure is cut by five per cent, the “budget deficit would still be large”.

“Such a large fiscal deficit, if viewed as weak governance and when considered against the backdrop of the International Monetary Fund’s estimate for the TT economy of 5.1 per cent contraction for 2016, would lower the confidence that business people have in the economy and stifle the investment process,” Hosein said.

PAYROLL COST: $10.6 BILLION

A big part of the government’s budget goes to pay its workers.

The state’s annual wage and salaries bill for this fiscal year was set at $10.6 billion, an increase of around $1 billion on the previous year’s.

For Hosein, the state would have to manage increases in its wage bill moving forward because, as it stands now, it already needs to find additional resources on a monthly basis to meet this bill.

Speaking during his conversations with the nation last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said there are 89,000 public servants on the central government’s payroll, including 39,000 civil servants, 13,000 member of the protective service and 16,000 teachers.

The figure excludes local government and state-owned enterprises. Even so, it has been going up. Hosein highlights that, in 2016, the central government employed some 76,000 workers and, in 2001, they totalled only 50,000.

“This is a significant increase no doubt motivated by the state padding in the labour market via the make work programmes,” he said, adding that employment in the period 1999 to 2016 in central and local government increased a whopping 64.6 per cent.

“In this regard, the state may have become a bit over-staffed. However, even if the state were to shed some workforce, total output in the central and local government sub-sector of the economy may not fall and indeed its average productivity may rise, if it is carrying surplus labour,” Hosein said.

“Whether or not the private sector could absorb the labour force shed by the state remains to be seen, but the restart of the highway to Point Fortin and the Diego Martin overpass once fully started would directly or indirectly absorb some of the workers shed by the state. This transitioning would not be immediate nor black and white” he said.

Last month, Dr Rowley met with the trade union federations—the Joint Trade Union Movement, the National Trade Union Centre of T&T and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-governmental Organisations—to signal that there would be no further job loss in the public sector for this year.

Wise or not, with the payroll reduction option closed, Hosein says Government should look at subsidies to determine what financial cuts it needs to make. These subsidies include below market prices for fuel and electricity, for instance.

“A good starting point for the reform of state expenditure therefore would be to review the additional $13.4 billion on transfers and subsidies spent between 2007 and 2016, although the level of nominal GDP was basically the same in both years. A line by line approach would have to be taken,” he said.

Browne said “transfers and subsidies rose to approximately 51 per cent of government expenditure, accounting for the entire increase in government revenues during that time”.

The only “bright spark were the fiscal incentives which facilitated Juniper (gas field) and other projects,” Browne stated.

Economist Indera Sageewan-Alli says Government should cut the Cepep and URP budget in half and re-allocate some of the monies allocated to those programmes to a more viable agricultural programme.

With warnings of an economy in the doldrums having been sounded even louder last Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Spotlight on the Economy, Sageewan-Alli said while those discussions might result in Finance Minister Colm Imbert “tweaking” the already prepared budget, warning bells had been sounded that “things are bad with the economy and the population should prepare for the worse.”

In a stark presentation, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Vishnu Dhanpaul lamented that transfers and subsidies to public utilities WASA and T&TEC have been not just for debt payment but for operational issues. He was particularly concerned that “billions had been spent on WASA.”

Sagewewan-Alli said she expects the budget to speak to some of those concerns.

“The fact is that subsidies is a big area and I can see Government attacking the issue of the utility rates,” she said

She said there is very little left to do with the fuel subsidy: “Government may move to completely remove it, but subsidies on water and electricity will be looked at.”

The 2017-2018 budget will be a “real balancing act as Government is faced with trying to maintain economic activity but at the same time ensuring it is not done through transfers and subsidies but through productive activity,” she said.

Sageewan-Alli while cutting the make work programmes will be hard, these are the kinds of decisions that have to be made. I

“In a co-operative model the very same workers could see the opportunity to own part of the estate rather than surviving on a ten days,” she said.

The budget she said should present the opportunity for both “inspiration to increase productivity and the hope that something is being done to make things better.”

She expects increases in alcohol, cigarettes and gambling “because these are areas where no matter the price people will find ways to buy.”

In addition, given the foreign exchange situation,Imbert might analyse the effect of the seven per cent on line tax and “may want to double it, I could see that as a place they will go after,” Sageewan-Alli said.