Port-of-Spain North/St Ann’s West MP Stuart Young says Government is moving full speed ahead to clean up corruption at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony for the McKai Booster Station at the Lady Young Road yesterday, he said: “When it became known that one of the areas I would focus my efforts on in the fight against corruption would be your institution ... immediately as that became known there was a fire at your headquarters.

“I want to put the population on alert from today that work is going to continue now and I am going to give it direction and we are going to clean up the corruption that exists. Those who are afraid of it need not be afraid, because you have the commitment of the Government and my personal commitment in dealing with that in my next stage of work.”

Young, the Minister in the Office of the Attorney General, said he was proud of WASA employees who actually “go out and do the work,” adding each citizen should strive to take the country forward. He also praised WASA’s management for using employees and not the “cartel of contractors that exist” to get projects done.

Asked about the probe, WASA chairman Romney Thomas said he did not want to comment as it is now with the Ministry of the Attorney General.

In 2016, a fire destroyed the second floor of WASA’s St Joseph headquarters which housed the Records Management Department. The blaze was believed to have been deliberately set.

The fire occurred almost two weeks after a forensic audit was ordered by WASA’s board into the utility’s operations and began in three different locations, including the filing room. Several employees were questioned.

Some 11 days after the first anniversary of that blaze there was another fire at WASA.

It was reported that work was being done on the second floor when a spark from a cutting torch ignited documents causing a small fire.

As the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) moves to collect some $500 million currently owed by errant customers, chairman Romney Thomas has promised that before year’s end properties will be seized and placed for sale in a bid to collect outstanding debts.

Thomas was speaking at WASA’s commissioning ceremony for the McKai Booster Station at the Lady Young Road, Morvant, yesterday.

Asked what percentage of customers were in arrears, Thomas said it was difficult to pinpoint but noted it was a mixture of residential and commercial customers. On a time-line for the actual start of seizure of property, Thomas said WASA was “working” with property owners so as to come to a resolution.

“We want to give people the opportunity to come in and talk to us and try to enter into a payment plan. We are not going to be draconian about it. And for those who don’t want to do it we will take that next step,” Thomas said.

“Right now it is a warning, but we have to collect the outstanding debt. It is way too much debt we have outside there and we are struggling to pay contractors. In terms of the sale of property... by the end of the year we would be advertising properties for sale.”

This is not the first time the company has threatened such action to clear of its customer debt, but such plan is yet to meterialise. Yesterday, Thomas pointed out that WASA was probably the only public utility authorised to sell a property for outstanding arrears, as outlined in the Rate and Recoveries Act. He said, however, that they will most likely target seizure of properties for customers who have the biggest debts first.

Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte said the bigger picture was that all citizens must appreciate that the price of water was one of the lowest in the Western Hemisphere, as each household had to pay a mere $3 a day for water. But he said the consumption pattern of citizens was four times that of other countries.

“If there are individuals who are not paying their bills at this time, that’s part of the reason why the country has subsidised WASA to the tune of almost $3 billion,” Le Hunte said, adding the country should be “crying shame” on customers who are not paying their bills with the rates currently as low as they are.

The minister said only 38 per cent of the population currently had access to pipe-borne water on a 24 hours/seven days a week basis.

The booster station was initially estimated at $3.1 million but reportedly cost the Public Utilities Ministry $2.2 million.

Thomas said it would provide water to the McKai community, which has been without water since its inception some 50 years ago. The community comprises some 400 people or 100 households. The project was done not by contractors but solely by WASA employees and Thomas paid kudos to them.

WASA’s director of programme and change management Denise Lee Sing-Pereira said the booster station was the brainchild of deceased WASA senior manager of North-West operations Derek Hookers, who was shot dead in 2015. To date his murder has remained unsolved.

“Derek’s commitment to the Mc Kai Lands community has been demonstrated through his successful completion of Phase One of the project, which entailed the laying of 1.5 kilometre PVC pipeline. Derek, however, died before his goal of providing a first time water supply to the community was realised,” Lee Sing-Pereira said.

She said the station has a design capacity of 135,360 gallons of water per day and is fed from the Picton Reservoir via the El Socorro Booster Station.

An Arouca man died at the Arima District Hospital yesterday afternoon, after he was shot near his Windy Hill, Arouca home.

According to police, Ryan Powder was found bleeding at the side of the road when Cpl Ali and WPC Francis responded to a report of shooting in the area just after noon. The officers took the bleeding man to the hospital where he died while being treated.

Police have labelled the killing as gang-related and say they are bracing for reprisal killings as a result.

The Divisional Commander of Police in Tobago, Acting Senior Superintendent Joanne Archie, says the police are on the ground and will be proactively working to ensure that crime on the island is kept at a minimum over the Christmas period.

This in the face of 11 murders for the year and the seizure of 15 illegal guns.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian yesterday Archie said: “One murder in Tobago is of concern,” since the island is not just a tourist destination but is also a “vacation destination and we have to ensure that people who visit and those who live on the island are kept safe.”

In 2016 there were four murders for the entire year.

Archie said of the 11 murders recorded this year, two had been solved.

“One was domestic a murder-suicide and the other where we charged two Trinidadians,” she said.

“We have made inroads into the others, but there is the issue of the evidential threshold,” she said.

In February, 15-year-old female footballer Abiela Adams was found with her throat slit. Archie said investigators “have made inroads and they are just a short time away from going to the Director of Public Prosecutions for directions.”

She said the investigation took some time but “we are awaiting the results of scientific evidence for further instructions to pursue charges.”

While investigations into the other murders continue, Archie said, the police have been unable to determine motives for the murders of two recent victims — Rondell ‘Barry’ Campbell, of Mason Hall, and 28-year-old barber, Rijkaard Ramos Carmona.

Archie is also expressing concern about the growing number of illegal guns on the island.

She said had seen this year they have had the highest number of gun seizures.

She believes that the guns may be coming in through “illegal ports. Tobago is surrounded by water and given the dynamics and the geographical constraints we rely on sea surveillance. We will want support from the Coast Guard. They have their patrols but we want to seek continued assistance where that is concerned.”

The absence of proper scanners on the Scarborough Port, she said, is also a major issue.

Recently, she said, “vehicles from Trinidad were intercepted on the Port carrying illegal drugs.

We utilise CID, regular police, narcotics and the canine department. So far, we have had some seizures.” That kind of surveillance, she said, will be heightened.

In the past week, 60 people were arrested for various offences including possession of narcotics and over 200 kilos of marijuana was seized.

Recognising that they cannot fight crime alone, Archie said the police in Tobago have an “excellent relationship,” with the stakeholders including the business community and residents. “The community policing unit is doing a lot of work on the ground in the villages and communities as a pro-active measure in crime initiative and we engage the community in crime-fighting initiatives. That is critical to success,” she said.

She admitted to some manpower challenges, but she said “it is how you utilise what you have to ensure there is a proper spread across the island.

We have had some gains and we are pursuing leads. We hope to bring the perpetrators of crime on the island to justice.

Angostura Holdings Limited employees are afraid to speak out against wrongdoing for fear of losing their jobs, says the president of Fixin T&T Kirk Waithe.

He was commenting on reports of an email being circulated by a top official of the company which hints at repercussions for any bar owner or person supporting a campaign calling for the removal of Angostura’s chairman Dr Rolph Balgobin.

The email reads: “Folks, any petition against Angostura being signed by bars or anyone who enjoys credit from us will not be perceived in a positive light. I trust that this is being monitored closely by your good selves. Let me know how this is being managed and if I may add value to any of the deliberations, I am only a phone call away.”

Waithe, who has given the Government and Angostura Holdings Ltd until Friday to remove Balgobin, is spearheading a campaign for a boycott of Angostura’s products. He said many bar owners are in favour of the boycott but are apprehensive about possible repercussions.

He claims an employee was suspended over the circulation of the email.

So far, three restaurants, Trotters, Prime and Buzo have signed on to the petition, along with promoters DJ Cin, ValeVibe, promoters of D original Breakfast Party, and Sunny Side Up events, which promotes the Carnival Breakfast Party.

“Many others agree in principle but are concerned about consequences,” Waithe said.

At a press conference on Monday, attorney Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj gave Angostura two weeks to reopen an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Balgobin.

Maharaj said after a senior employee filed the complaint under the company’s whistleblower policy, Angostura appointed the Diana Mahabir-Wyatt Investigating Committee to probe the allegations.

However, in October, the company hired retired Judge Rolston Nelson to complete the investigations and the Committee’s appointment was terminated.

Maharaj has given Angostura 21 days to reopen the investigation.

“We believe that Angostura should act within the next two weeks and the government should act within the next week or two also and therefore we believe that within the next 21 days we should see the committee back in action. If that does not happen we will consider our legal options but that has to be our last resort,” he said.

Contacted yesterday, Angostura’s senior manager of Public Affairs and Communications Giselle Laronde-West said the company had no comment at this time.

Days before she was due to be discharged from the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Corporal Roxanne Sealey, who was was accidentally shot by a colleague in September, suffered a stroke.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Snr Supt Surrendra Sagramsingh, under whose supervision Sealey fell, said she is believed to have developed a blood clot which travelled to her brain, causing the stroke last Thursday.

Sealey, who lost a kidney and her spleen as a result of the shooting at the San Juan Police Station on September 26, was first warded in the ICU. After being transferred from the ICU, relatives feared she was not receiving the best care and were seeking to have her transferred to a private institution. However, doctors at the hospital advised against it and Sealey was instead transferred to the High Dependency Unit, where she remained for weeks recuperating and was showing good enough progress to be sent home.

Sagramsingh also said the officer who accidentally shot Sealey is still traumatised by the incident, as he shared a close working relationship with her. The officer, who is attached to the warrant office of the Court and Process Branch, remains on active duty while the Professional Standards Bureau investigates the matter. The officer was checking his loaded firearm at the station when it accidentally went off. The bullet grazed his finger before hitting Sealey in the abdomen.

Prison Officers’ Association (POA) president Ceron Richards said yesterday his members were breathing a little easier after a second meeting with Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and National Security Minister Edmund Dillon bore fruit on a way forward over legislation to ensure their protection, even when off-duty.

Richards said Al-Rawi agreed to appoint a special committee to look at the legislation during the meeting. He described the meeting as “progressive,” adding it formulated a road map moving forward and a direction hey were happy with.

“This should see drafts completed in approximately six weeks of a number of new legislation and some amendments to existing legislation. It will be a very tedious exercise…we are testing it at this stage…we are happy and understand the role the AG has itemised and it is for us now to go with him,” Richards said.

He said there are five main areas to be dealt with and while he was not ready to disclose the specifics, he said is confident the special committee will draft the possibilities.

“We are in the exploring stage and later on we will see what advances to Cabinet and then to Parliament. We are satisfied on the road to reach somewhere…we anticipate and suspect the AG this time around is taking us somewhere and we would concentrate on that for now,” Richards said.

During the meeting, Dillon also asked the POA to submit proposals on ways officers can be protected off the job.

Legislation is said to be currently drafted to help protect them.

He added, “The Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Prisons are actively involved in a number of security initiatives which can and should facilitate the type of support our members need, which will give them an added sense of security.”

Richards said while they are aware crime and criminality is now endemic, they remain positively optimistic they will achieve “results which can place not only us, as prison officers, but other members of the protective services in a better place to not only address our security needs but those extremely important security concerns of the people of T&T.”

He assured “we are focused on a progressive roadmap. We will not be sidetracked.”

On November 3, Richards and some of his member visited the Canadian High Commission seeking information about asylum in that country following recent attacks against colleagues.

This the murders of two prison officers last month. Prison officer Glenford Gardner, 44, was shot dead outside a house he owned at Sea Trace, Diego Martin, on October 26.

He was shot dead hours after prison officers confiscated cellphones and other contraband items at the Port-of-Spain Prison. Earlier in October, prison officer Richard Sandy was killed by an ex-convict while at a bar in South Trinidad.

In the most recent incident, on Saturday night, an 11-year-old daughter of a prison officer was injured after being grazed on the stomach by a bullet.

Former Educational Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) chairman Arnold Piggott says he is now ready to “break my silence” and will appear before Parliament’s Joint Select Committee looking into issues at the entity he once chaired. His appearance before the committee, he said yesterday, are for the same reasons he resigned from the EFCL, “in the interest of “the protection of my reputation and family name.”

Piggott came under fire on Monday when he failed to attend a JSC meeting on the EFCL, with JSC chairman David Small warning a summons would be issued for Piggott to attend the next hearing.

Yesterday, Small told the T&T Guardian if Piggott fails to appear when the summons is served “there are options available,” but declined to go into details. But he said he remains optimistic Piggott will appear.

“We have all sorts of documents saying things went awry. The time period is under the watch of the former chairman, he is critical to say what happened here. We don’t understand what the drama is about, these things, it is alleged, fell under your watch,” Small said.

He said the committee’s work is dependent on “parties against whom things have been said. We have one side of the story, it is difficult to come to a conclusion without hearing the other side.”

The summons is expected to be sent before the end of the week once JSC members agree on a date for the next hearing.

Parliament sources told the Guardian it is the first time that both houses of Parliament have invoked the power contained in the standing orders of the Senate and the House of Representatives to command that someone appear before the Committee.

Calls to Piggott’s mobile phone went unanswered yesterday, but in an earlier interview with i95.5FM he said he felt it “prudent to consider attending the next meeting of the inquiry,” given the “misinformation in the public domain arising from the inquiry.” He said he wanted to remove the speculation surrounding the EFCL and “me personally” and is hoping that when he appears before the inquiry he will be given “appropriate leeway to vent.” He added, however, that any summons for him to appear, he said, will be dealt with by his attorneys.

Former education minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh yesterday said while the JSC must be “heartily commended for its decision to summon Mr. Piggott to its next meeting,” it was “disgraceful” that Piggott’s decision not the attend took place “in the midst of revelations that the board of directors he headed had overstepped its boundaries and interfered in the day-to-day operations of EFCL and was involved in improprieties pertaining to procurement.” He said Piggott’s resignation last June “took place after major allegations of irregularities. Attorney General Faris Al- Rawi had previously summoned a meeting of the Board of Directors amidst the serious claims.”

The T&T Coast Guard has launched an investigation into what caused one of its vessels to sink off while docked in Tobago on Tuesday.

The vessel has since been dry-docked and is being repaired by a team of engineers.

In a statement yesterday, Public Relations Officer of the TT Coast Guard Lt Sherron Manswell confirmed that the vessel sunk but could not say what caused this.

“We are still working on finalising the report. We are doing an investigation but the boat is now on land,” Manswell said. He added that the boat is not inoperable and will be put to use once it is repaired.

This is not the first time that a vessel sank at that location.

Yesterday, secretary of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea Gary Aboud circulated photographs of the submerged vessel.

He called for an investigation into the incident.

“A multi-million dollar vessel down the drain while uniformed Coast Guard officers standby idly. Every backyard seaman knows survival basics such as always have a bailer on standby if a vessel takes in water yet these officers seem to be liming while the vessel goes down,” Aboud said in a statement.

He urged Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to ask himself “why the T&T Coast Guard wrecks every one of its high-powered prestige vessels in what mariners consider to be record time?”

“A Prime Minister has a duty to ensure that government agency expenditures are necessary, are prudently acquired and are managed efficiently and loyally. These officers appear to be untouchable,” Aboud added.

Two weeks after a father of three was convicted of beating his daughter, head of the Child Protection Unit (CPU), Supt Beverly Rodriguez is advising parents to be careful when disciplining their children.

Speaking at the weekly police media briefing yesterday, Rodriguez said there were over 400 reported cases of abuse cases involving children this year.

She warned: “What would I advise, there is a very thin line between abuse and disciplining your child. You need to be very careful in how you discipline your child, depending on the extent you go, you could be brought before the court for abuse.”

On November 9, a 41-year-old man from East Dry River, Port-of-Spain was fined $3,000 or in default, face three months hard labour after he was charged with cruelty.

De Leon Celestine was found guilty of beating his 14-year-old daughter, on June 2, 2016, causing suffering and injury to her health.

The child disclosed the beating to a school social worker the next day, who referred the matter to the Child Protection Unit.

Yesterday, Rodriguez said with the introduction of the Children’s Court hopefully to be completed this year, children charged with criminal offences will be tried in the three courts being set up throughout Trinidad and one in Tobago.

The aim of the court, which was expected to have been operational since December 2016, is to deal with juveniles with restorative justice rather than punitive, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said from January to November 3 there were 424 reports brought to the CPU and for the same period last year, there were 488 reports.

Rodriguez said the formation of the unit contributed to the decreasing number of reports. She advised parents to monitor their children’s activity online adding that there is no breach of their privacy in doing so.

She warned that with the coming Christmas period parents should be careful of who their children associate with and who they consume food and drinks from as they may be drugged and violated.

The role and functions of CPU, which was initiated two years ago, is to investigate reports of sexual and physical abuse, abandonment/neglect and ill-treatment against children.

Former Chaguanas mayor Natasha Navas who took refuge at a temple in Cunupia over the weekend has been reunited with her family at an undisclosed location.

Confirmation came from Pundit Jaidath Maharaj, head of the Gyaan Jyoti Mandali Temple via a Facebook post yesterday.

Maharaj said Navas’ family was now “seeking her best interest in consultation with professionals from the public as well as the ministry who reached out to us.”

Maharaj who was praised by many on social media for his swift intervention thanked everyone who expressed concern and volunteered their expert advice to Navas.

However, he singled out attorney Ashvani Mahabir who went beyond the call in reaching out to Navas. Mahabir, who is a close friend of Navas said when he saw her heartbreaking plight on Facebook he became concerned.

“I met her yesterday (Tuesday) morning and we had quite a long conversation. I am not a medical doctor but she came across in a manner that was coherent, lucid and clear,” Mahabir said.

Navas, who had been roaming the streets of Central in the past few months, sought refuge at the temple at Madras Road over the weekend.

Mahabir said Navas’ family, medical practitioners and the ministry were contacted.

“Last night (Tuesday) her family took her to another place, which I prefer not to disclose. Efforts are being made to locate a permanent place for her. Right now her family is engaged in what needs to be done.”

He said Navas was expected to meet a social welfare worker yesterday.

“I am optimistic she would be well. A new beginning lies around the corner.”

Mahabir said Navas expressed a “bit of embarrassment and hurt by the media publicity.”

He said the fact that she became embarrassed, reflects upon a person who is of sound mind and body. Mahabir opted not to say what drove Navas to go to the temple.

“She disclosed some personal things which I would not say to protect her privacy.”

Outraged villagers yesterday questioned why 25-year-old doubles vendor Nishad Amrit Radhay had to be killed by bandits during a home invasion yesterday.

“They should not have killed him…Why? Was that called for?” one villager was heard saying at Cameron Street, Balmain, Couva, where the incident took place.

Radhay was in the kitchen of his home at about 2 am when two men, armed with guns, confronted him.

According to a police report, it is believed that one of the bandits shot Radhay in the head.

Police said Radhay, who sold doubles, was preparing for the day’s sales when the incident occurred.

Radhay, who had woke up at 1 am to begin preparations, had told his parents to take an additional hour’s sleep while he boiled the channa, relatives said.

On hearing the gunshot Radhay’s relatives woke up and ran to the kitchen area, only to be ordered into the main house by the gunmen.

Both Radhay’s parents and sister were forced to look on helplessly as the men ransacked the house.

They were not even allowed to help Radhay who was lying on the floor of the kitchen.

Police said the bandits escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Radhay was subsequently taken to the Couva District Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment.

At the house yesterday, crime scene investigators were still processing the scene, gathering evidence, including fingerprints.

Scores of family and friends gathered on the roadway looking on.

Shortly after noon, Radhay’s parents and sister, along with his fiancé, Inesha Moonwah returned to the scene. They were too distraught to speak—Radhay’s father asking for “alone time.”

The T&T Guardian was told that Radhay had asked Moonwah for her hand in marriage just in September during a short vacation in Tobago.

“Both of them were preparing for their wedding which would have been just a couple months away…if I am not mistaken, Nishad was so excited to begin his life with his love that he had already bought his wedding suit,” said a close friend of the family, who asked not to be identified.

The friend described Radhay as a “very hard-working person...in fact the entire family was very hardworking. His father was one of those who went out of a job when Caroni (1975) Limited closed down and he went into the doubles business.”

“Nishad never used to lime, never even drank alcohol. He was such a soft-spoken person. His day was getting up at 1.30 am every morning selling doubles, then home resting and on evenings going to run, his favourite past time…a runner in training. It is impossible to say that he ever had any confrontation with anyone,” the family friend said.

Radhay, who was a victim of severe bullying in primary school because of being overweight was diagnosed with a fatty liver and acid reflux at the age of 18. At a weight of 260 pounds, Radhay decided to turn his life around—dieting and exercising—later successfully becoming fit and a personal trainer.

MP outraged over killing

Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh yesterday expressed shock and outrage over Radhay’s murder.

Radhay, at one time, worked at his constituency office in an administrative capacity.

“The murder of this young man is very disturbing and a true tragedy. Balmain is in mourning. This should never have happened to such a bright and law-abiding individual. It’s so tragic that this young man’s life was so senselessly snuffed out,” Indarsingh said.

Indarsingh blamed the Government for “spiralling out-of-crime epidemic” in the country.

He disclosed that over 18 months ago, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley assured him in the Parliament that joint/army police patrols have been taking place on the streets of Couva South and the community of Couva, but added that those patrols seemed to be non-existent.

Man shot dead at Pashley Street

In another case of murder, Marlon John 39, of Buller Trace, off Pashley Street was shot and killed yesterday while walking along Pashley Street.

A report stated that John was shot at about 7.30 am. He was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he died. No motive was given for John’s murder. For the year, 432 people have been murdered as compared to 411 for the comparative period last year.

A High Court judge has turned down an application from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to repay a $1.8 million debt to a contractor in instalments.

Delivering an oral ruling on the HDC’s application last Friday, Justice Avason Quinlan-Williams ruled that the State company was not entitled to such a the facility as it had not complied with the court’s rules required for it nor did the organisation disclose its financial records to support the application.

Attorney Larry Lalla, who represented the contractor, had argued that a corporation with vast resources such as the HDC was not entitled to make use of the court’s instalment payment rules.

As a result of her decision, the judge ordered that the HDC pay the contractor’s debt plus interest and as well as legal costs in one lump sum payment.

The contractor, from Corinth Settlement, Ste Madeleine, sued the HDC in July after it failed to pay for refurbishment works carried out on HDC communities in Union Hall, Embacadere, Couva and Orchard Gardens in Chaguanas.

The HDC admitted that it owed the debt but requested that it be repaid in 18 instalments of $100,000 each owing to cash flow problems. Such a request is catered for under the Civil Proceedings Rules, however, the HDC’s application was novel as it is usually used by individual debtors and not State agencies and corporations. The HDC was represented by Shankar Bidaisee and Rachael Jaggernauth.

The ANSA McAL team recently hit the ground running in coordinating care packages for the people of Dominica.

Together with volunteers from Dominica and team members from the OECS led by Grenada Ambassador to CARICOM Dr Patrick Antoine, five fully loaded containers were settled at the Windsor Stadium and unstuffed.

An army of volunteers supervised by Ruby Robinson (OECS) and ANSA McAL team members, together with the indefatigable Simon Walsh, efficiently coordinated bags of supplies ready for distribution throughout communities such as Soufriere, Scotts Head and Gallion.

They then went out into some of the communities and distributed some of the relief items to affected citizens, who are still trying to piece their lives back together since the island, which has a population of 71,000 people, was devastated by Hurricane Maria in mid-September.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has read the riot act to his team of ministers, senators, parliamentary secretaries and Members of Parliament, telling them that at mid-term the “image” of the party and MPs is “not healthy” and they need to “step up to the plate” and be more “in tune” with the needs of the people they serve.

The Prime Minister spoke to the team at a luncheon meeting at the Diplomatic Centre, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Well-placed sources told the T&T Guardian the meeting was organised shortly after the party’s 47th convention on November 12. Analysts yesterday said this was significant, given that the PM and political leader will usually use the convention to bring the party up to speed on what the Government is doing.

But Government sources said there was nothing “strange” or “unusual” about yesterday’s meeting, saying it was simply that Rowley wanted to have a “discussion” with his team because they are not in the Cabinet.

Just two weeks ago at the party’s convention, Laventille West activist Wayne Griffith expressed concern at what he said was a “disconnect” between Cabinet, MPs, senators and the base of the People’s National Movement. He urged the party to pay more attention to “our foot soldiers, who at times feel alienated.”

The concern seems to have struck a chord in Rowley, who yesterday told his team that at mid-term there was need for introspection and urged them to “step up to the plate.”

During the three-hour meeting, he is said to have specifically told MPs they had a responsibility to look after the needs of the people who elected them. Team members were cautioned they needed to collectively do more to build on the gains the party had made in the last two years and to ensure they were on the pulse. A Cabinet source said there was no “talk of any snap election on the horizon.”

With two by-elections looming in Barataria and the other in Belmont, Rowley said those with responsibility to look after the needs of the people must be “on the ground, and more involved.” Rowley reminded the that Local Government elections are are due in 2019 and they need to “get out there and listen to the people.”

Rowley has himself been seen more about in his constituency and just this week residents in Tobago West reported seeing their MP, Shamfa Cudjoe, on walkabouts.

Asked whether any mention was made of La Horquetta Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie, who has been ill for almost two months and out of office, the T&T Guardian was told neighbouring MPs will be making an effort to attend to the needs of his constituents.

Several people who attended the meeting said Rowley was “like a father speaking to his children, helping us to understand that what we do is important for good governance. Our job is to ensure that all citizens are looked after.”

Asked how they felt after the meeting, those who spoke said “normal,” but they got the message, adding that “when those from within complain it means that all is not well and we have a lot of work to do.”

Revelations by Educational Facilities Company Limited (EFCL) chairman Ronald Vasquez have sparked a war of words between that state agency’s former chairman Arnold Piggott and former education minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh.

Gopeesingh is describing as “erroneous, misleading and not factual” claims by Piggott that there was a “substantial amount of wrong doing at the EFCL under the former regime and the board that was there from 2010 to 2015.”

Piggott has been under fire after he failed to appear before Monday’s Joint Select Committee investigating the EFCL. He has since indicated he will appear when the JSC next meets.

In an interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew yesterday, Piggott said the board he chaired from October 2015 until his resignation never awarded any contract for “$1 million, $100 million, far less for $900 million.”

He added: “Somebody should have asked the question when did this occur?”

Piggott said he decided to speak out because “they seeking to affect Arnold Piggott, his board, his wife and his children.”

“I thought I must move forward particularly when the information is so grossly wrong.”

Saying he stood by his board and his tenure as chairman, Piggott said: “I am confirming that nothing in relation to my conduct, any wrong doing, any corruption, any collusion, any bid-rigging, I want the population to know the much criticised PWC report showed corruption, collusion and bid-rigging took place under the UNC regime.”

He added: “Some of it reared its ugly head under us. Two situations came up but we nipped it in the bud immediately, because we were about getting the EFCL cleaned. But apparently our efforts to get EFCL cleaned up has affected certain people who must do what they have to do to deal with the board that is seeking to clean up EFCL.”

Piggott accused Gopeesingh of trying to get political mileage from the situation at the JSC.

But in response to Piggott’s claims, Gopeesingh said: “When we demitted office an audit was done. It is two years since the work was commissioned and $31 million was paid into audits done by the government. I am not aware of the audit findings, but if there was issue of $900 million for contracts why was that not raised? Why take so long after two years to raise that issue?”

Gopeesingh could shed no light on allegations that one contractor was awarded 58 contracts worth $900 million, but recalled in 2015 the permanent secretary raised concerns and questioned the EFCL about issues relating to 11 contracts awarded to Elgin Investment Company for the paving of schools.

He said tenders to be awarded go through a strict process involving a tenders committee, management tenders committee, board tenders committee and the board.

“This is in keeping with the Performance Monitoring Manual for state enterprises and special purpose companies,” he explained.

Gopeesingh said during his time there were 1120 small, medium and large contractors retained by the EFCL and in that five-year period more than 5,500 repair and maintenance contracts were awarded.

Gopeesingh said the minister has nothing to do as the board makes its decisions and anything to do with finance goes through the permanent secretary for verification. He said statements being made currently are without any basis.

“I am sure that Mr. Piggott, when he goes before the JSC, will seek to clarify a number of these issues which are misleading at the moment.”

Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget yesterday admitted that the University of T&T (UTT) had become a “feeding trough” for political parties, which ultimately led to its unviability.

Roget made the comment while addressing the media following a 90-minute meeting with Education Minister Anthony Garcia and UTT chairman Prof Ken Julien at the Education Ministry, Port-of-Spain, to discuss the university’s future.

Roget said while no information was forthcoming on how many of UTT’s 1,000 workers will be sent home and how they intended to restructure the organisation, he was not disappointed. He said the union, UTT and Garcia will meet again on December 6 for further discussions.

At a press conference yesterday, Garcia assured that no decision had been taken to dismiss UTT’s staff “at this point in time.”

However, Roget vowed that if workers are retrenched in the coming days the OWTU will exercise their options and “it would be no turning back.” Holding these options close to his chest, Roget said it will be an element of surprise that will be “potent,” which he would roll out next Friday.

“We are not going to take this lying down. They (Government) condemned those who were in control and in governance for not doing a proper job, but they are doing a worse job so far.”

He said the OWTU was disgusted, dismayed and dissatisfied with the Government.

“They are a most ungrateful bunch of people…this PNM Government.”

Roget said while Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had given a commitment not to send State workers home until after December 31, the OWTU has been hearing hundreds of jobs are being threatened.

However, if there is any contemplation of sending workers home, Roget said the Government must bring its case to the National Tripartite Advisory Council. He said there was a Labour Economic Alternative Plan which outlines alternatives as the country battles its hardships, which they had presented to the Finance Minister but got no response.

“The Government is myopic and bankrupt of ideas. If they make the case every year for more people to go home with less revenue, the economy will grind to a halt. What the Government is doing is preparing the country for the International Monetary Fund. They are imposing IMF conditionalities on the population,” he said.

Roget said while the salaries of UTT staff had not been adjusted since 2007, UTT was top-heavy. One recommendation the OWTU has put forward is to examine the salaries of the university’s top level staff, he said.

“Where they have serious expenses with respect to salary is at the top… the presidents and the vice presidents and so on. A significant number of vice presidents and the managers…the university is top-heavy with persons who really ought not to be there in the first place.

“The university became unviable because of this top heaviness and it has lost its way. It was the UNC’s snout in the trough not too long ago. Now it is the PNM snout in the trough.”

He said while the Government is faced with a shortage of foreign exchange, one UTT worker who is a foreigner was paid in US dollars. Roget said he heard this top-level staff is paid $240,000 a month.

Although the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) yesterday boasted of $300 million in profit following some $2.8 billion in sales during 2016/2017, the best ever performance in its existence, it was still taken to task by a Joint Select Committee for failing to submit annual reports to the Finance Ministry since 2012. This has resulted in the State-owned entity neglecting its statutory obligations.

The company’s checks and balance systems came under scrutiny by the JSC, after it was revealed despite raking in decent profits for the past five years it was unable to offer a decent remuneration package to keep an internal financial controller. This has resulted in the NLCB being unable to provide financial statements since 2012 to present.

Questions also arose regarding the NLCB having its own authority to hire personnel for key top positions and granting perks as board members saw fit.

JSC chairman Ian Roach chastised the NLCB for deliberately misleading them, as in its written submission it said all financial records were updated.

“This would be a far cry in terms of complying with the National Lotteries Act,” Roach said.

This also prompted Opposition Senator and member Khadjiah Ameen to say the NLCB’s written submission to the committee ought to be taken “with a heavy dose of salt.”
NLCB chief accountant Leslie Ann John said in 2013 the financial controller left but had prepared audits up to 2009 then.

“In 2014 we had another financial controller and he would have prepared up to 2012. In late 2015 we got another controller who left in 2016 and was responding to the management letters issued by the Auditor General,” John said.

John said they were unable to retain a financial controller over the years because the $18,500 salary was seen as unacceptable. But human resource assistant Yana Mollino said the terms and conditions were set by the chief personnel officer.

“Because the position is contract, the board’s hands are tied as to what it can add to the package,” she said.

NLCB chairman Marvin Johncilla said a financial controller’s position was difficult to fill given its area of skills, adding the board was constrained over the years in getting people with the required competencies. But he said only last month they sourced a “qualified financial professional” who is currently dealing with the backlog, which is now expected to be cleared in several months. Another troubling factor was the absence of an audit committee, which existed under the previous board.

The JSC also heard there were positions which remained under contract due to a lack of Cabinet approval since 2013. Mollino said the board was not allowed to recruit without Cabinet approval, resulting in some positions being continued under contract arrangements.

The committee was told in order to boost sales, the NLCB tried a range of things from offering new products to hiring more field agents, while mobile gaming was also in the works.

But deputy director Ricardo Borde said illegal “play whe” continued to contribute to a decline in profits, since illegal operators offered their game at higher odds and payouts. NLCB director Michael Jogee said the board was working with the Financial Investigative Bureau to crack down on illegal operators.

On remuneration, the JSC heard the board provided the terms and conditions for managers, including executive management.

Ameen expressed concern that the board seemingly had power to pay itself hefty benefits. Johncilla said this was incorrect, but admitted the board “engaged from time to time in sourcing talent” difficult to find under the service provision contract.

The NLCB also spent $37 million in sponsorship during 2014-2015 under the previous board, the highest ever, but this figure was down to $28 million in the current fiscal year. Asked how the monies were allocated for sponsorship, the JSC was told this came via board directives.

In his closing remarks, Roach described the NLCB as a critical revenue stream for the country, especially given the current economic challenges.

“Clearly, from the discussions, it seems there is some bit of internal tightening in terms of internal controls and your audit committee ... We are hoping your audit committee will be on stream very soon because it is a critical part in dealing with breaches given the high volumes of cash, especially in these lean times,” Roach said.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has read the riot act to his team of ministers, senators, parliamentary secretaries and Members of Parliament, telling them that at mid-term the “image” of the party and MPs is “not healthy” and they need to “step up to the plate” and be more “in tune” with the needs of the people they serve.

The Prime Minister spoke to the team at a luncheon meeting at the Diplomatic Centre, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Well-placed sources told the T&T Guardian the meeting was organised shortly after the party’s 47th convention on November 12. Analysts yesterday said this was significant, given that the PM and political leader will usually use the convention to bring the party up to speed on what the Government is doing.

But Government sources said there was nothing “strange” or “unusual” about yesterday’s meeting, saying it was simply that Rowley wanted to have a “discussion” with his team because they are not in the Cabinet.

Just two weeks ago at the party’s convention, Laventille West activist Wayne Griffith expressed concern at what he said was a “disconnect” between Cabinet, MPs, senators and the base of the People’s National Movement. He urged the party to pay more attention to “our foot soldiers, who at times feel alienated.”

The concern seems to have struck a chord in Rowley, who yesterday told his team that at mid-term there was need for introspection and urged them to “step up to the plate.”

During the three-hour meeting, he is said to have specifically told MPs they had a responsibility to look after the needs of the people who elected them. Team members were cautioned they needed to collectively do more to build on the gains the party had made in the last two years and to ensure they were on the pulse. A Cabinet source said there was no “talk of any snap election on the horizon.”

With two by-elections looming in Barataria and the other in Belmont, Rowley said those with responsibility to look after the needs of the people must be “on the ground, and more involved.” Rowley reminded the that Local Government elections are are due in 2019 and they need to “get out there and listen to the people.”

Rowley has himself been seen more about in his constituency and just this week residents in Tobago West reported seeing their MP, Shamfa Cudjoe, on walkabouts.

Asked whether any mention was made of La Horquetta Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie, who has been ill for almost two months and out of office, the T&T Guardian was told neighbouring MPs will be making an effort to attend to the needs of his constituents.

Several people who attended the meeting said Rowley was “like a father speaking to his children, helping us to understand that what we do is important for good governance. Our job is to ensure that all citizens are looked after.”

Asked how they felt after the meeting, those who spoke said “normal,” but they got the message, adding that “when those from within complain it means that all is not well and we have a lot of work to do.”

Ten years after he was sentenced to death for murdering a taxi driver, 43-year old Donald David had his sentence varied to 30 years in jail yesterday.

David, however, will only serve 14 years, eight months and 24 days in prison as the time he has already spent in custody was deducted from the sentence.

The Appeal Court, in 2013, dismissed David’s appeal but sent the matter back to the High Court for the prisoner to be sentenced based on the murder-felony rule.

Under the felony murder rule, judges are given the discretion to waive the mandatory death penalty in circumstances where the victim is killed during the commission of a lesser criminal offence—in this case, robbery.

David was convicted on February 1, 2007, of the murder of Ramesh Seelochan and sentenced to death by hanging.

Recalling the facts in the case, Justice Carla Brown-Antoine presiding in the San Fernando First Court said on August 8, 2002, David went to the home of his good friend, Willis Romeo, at Britto Trace, Brothers Road and asked him to accompany him to Tabaquite to check some girls.

David, who had a knapsack on his back, told Romeo that Seelochan would take them there. Seelochan picked them up at Britto Trace junction in his gold coloured B-13 car and they headed to Brothers Road, Tabaquite.

Along the way, David, who was in the back seat, announced a holdup. Romeo, who was in the front passenger seat, turned around and saw David pointing a gun at his face. David ordered Seelochan to stop the car just before the WASA pumping station and told the men to exit the vehicle. He directed them to a nearby bushy area.

David ordered Romeo to take $200 Seelochan had in his possession and hand it over.

Seelochan pleaded for his life, saying, “Please don’t kill me, don’t shoot me, I will do anything you want.”

David then ordered Romeo to use Seelochan’s shoe lacings to tie his hands behind his back.

Seelochan continued begging for his life. Romeo ran off towards the road, and about four to five seconds later he heard a gunshot. David caught up with Romeo and ordered him to get into the car and drive. Romeo drove to a forested area known as Cats Hill. There, David lit the car on fire and both men left the scene by taxi. David paid the fare.

Romeo got home around 7 pm. On August 11, 2002, the same day Seelochan’s body was found. He contacted the police and went to the Rio Claro Police Station where he gave a statement and took the police to the scene where the car was burnt. He was subsequently released. David was arrested on August 15, 2002, hours before he boarded a flight to Grenada.

In passing sentence, Brown-Antoine described the killing as senseless.

She said according to the bio-social report, David might be saddened by the loss of life he has not fully accepted liability. State attorneys Stacy Laloo-Chung and Shabaana Shah prosecuted while David was represented by attorney Rekha Ramjit.