Pay your rent to the Housing Development Corporation.

This was the call yesterday from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the housing distribution ceremony for the Trestrail Lands in D’Abadie, as he said the allocation for housing would be reduced in the upcoming budget.

Rowley said with the Housing Ministry’s allocation to be cut in Monday’s budget, the HDC will have to be more reliant on monies collected from their tenants.

“You will not see a large amount of money allocated in the budget, some money is allocated for the HDC. But the HDC’s management, under the guidance of the Minister, is required to collect such from you fortunate ones what you have committed to pay,” PM said.

Rowley said HDC rent is not exorbitant but he had noted instances of employed persons racking up thousands of dollars of debt.

“HDC rentals are not exorbitant and you must pay it unless you are destitute. I am instructing the HDC to collect from those who have been authorised to occupy rental units. The rents are not exorbitant and some people are just downright irresponsible in not carrying their part of the bargain.

“Imagine someone got a house only a few months ago, less than a year ago and is employed and is already in debt to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars to the HDC. That cannot be encouraged,” he said.

Rowley said payments from rental and mortgages will be used to finance future housing projects.

“We need the money. You got into the unit by agreeing to pay the mortgage and that mortgage money is going straight into somebody else’s unit. The contractors have to be paid, we have a number of projects in the pipeline, we have a number of contractors on new sites, as they progress the work towards creating additional units they have to be paid,” said Rowley.

“The collections from the HDC would now have to be a major part of the input into the maintenance and the construction of new units.”

On September 14, the HDC also unveiled a new vehicle which was earmarked specifically for debt collection.

Some 80 people received keys at the ceremony. Construction of Trestrail Lands began in 2014 but was put on hold until it was resumed with a new contractor in 2016.

The United National Congress (UNC) yesterday had what it called a “cordial” meeting with the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) on the union’s plan to save Petrotrin.

The UNC did not speak to the media after the meeting and instead issued a media statement lauding the cordial approach between the two groups.

There is a history of bad blood between the UNC and the OWTU, dating back to Opposition Leader Persad-Bissessar’s time as prime minister. During the build-up to the 2015 general elections, the OWTU had dragged a mannequin on political platforms dressed in a yellow outfit to represent Persad-Bissessar. She was insulted in effigy for months by the union.

However, the Persad-Bissessar and OWTU president general Ancel Roget seemed to put that behind them to focus on the Government’s plan to close down the Petrotrin refinery yesterday.

According to the media release, Persad-Bisessar was concern over Government’s disregard for the employees” of the State-owned company. She has been saying that the company could be turned around and said the UNC had its own plan to fix the company.

“The Opposition shares the view that the company can be turned around, the jobs of thousands of workers saved and the shut down of the refinery is not in the best interest of the company and the country,” Persad-Bissessar said in the release.

“Next Monday, the country will learn from the Minister of Finance what is our current economic standing and it is hoped that the country will hear some concrete plans regarding the company’s future, given its critical importance to our nation’s energy sector.”

She said in light of the manner in which Rowley has handled this issue, the UNC did not expect to hear any viable plans to secure the nation’s assets.

Speaking to the media before yesterday’s meeting, Roget also reiterated that Petrotrin does not have to be shut down.

“We are for restructuring but we are not for shutting down the refinery,” Roget said to the media.

He said the details alternative plan would be presented to Persad-Bissessar. The union also sent copies of this plan to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Office of the President.

“We have heard nothing from the President of Trinidad and Tobago, very disrespectful so far but we would be following up there also to ensure all where we have delivered it, they get the benefit of a full presentation,” he said.

Roget said the meeting and presentation to Persad-Bissessar was no different from the meeting the union had with the People’s National Movement (PNM) back in 2014, before the election.

“We came to this same office and delivered the issues and problems that we saw taking place at Petrotrin back then,” he said.

In 2014, Prime Minister Rowley was the opposition leader and Persad-Bissessar was the prime minister. Though their roles are now reversed, Roget said the union’s mindset remained the same.

“The one thing we are consistent about is our attempts to save Petrotrin...the leader of the Opposition then got the benefit of the union’s proposal and thoughts and so on,” Roget said.

He said although Persad-Bissessar had a copy of the alternative plan, she needed the entire presentation to better understand the proposal.

The Petrotrin refinery is expected to be shut down in phases, starting from October 1, 2018.

“They are in a state of confusion,” Roget said, citing the difference in the reports of the amount of workers to be axed.

“Now we hearing the Prime Minister saying that the numbers don’t matter, can you believe that? Well, we feel every life matters,” he said.

The OWTU is expected to have its second and follow-up meeting with the Petrotrin executive today.

More than a year after it was set up to probe the procurement and maintenance of ferries on the seabridge, the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure has completed its work and submitted its report to parliament.

However, the committee, comprising Opposition, Independent and Government members, was split and two reports were laid in the Parliament yesterday - the substantive report from the JSC and a minority report.

It’s the second time that a Parliamentary Committee was split and produced two reports.

A Special Select Committee (SSC) appointed by the House of Representatives to inquire into the recruitment and selection process of a Police Commissioner also produced two reports, one from the committee and the other a Minority Report from Opposition members on the committee.

The report of the JSC inquiring into the ferries, chaired by Stephen Creese, is over 300 pages long and contains over 60 recommendations, including one for a forensic audit into the procurement of the Super Fast Galicia.

But the Opposition said it believes the committee work was “cut short” and the two Opposition members, Wade Mark and Rushton Paray, in their Minority Report, said they had taken note that “the entire procurement procedure for vessels to service the seabridge had been uprooted and moved to a place where it appears procurement is no longer subject to even the Central Tenders Board Regulations.”

The T&T Guardian understands that the Opposition members on the committee requested that the committee hold one final meeting to review their findings.

In a letter to the committee’s secretary, which was obtained by the T&T Guardian, Mark raised a specific concern that the Moutett Report was to form part of the committee’s report.

“Mr Mouttet’s Report includes quite a lot of information the particulars of which have never been discussed by the committee as a whole - instead some elements of the report were added over time based on a review by Parliamentary staff,” Mark said in reference to a report compiled by businessman Christian Moutett.

Moutett who was appointed by the Prime Minister to investigate “the circumstances surrounding the procurement of the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 and the entering into the charter party agreements for these vessels”.

Mark said, “Most of Mr Mouttet’s work related to the Super Fast Galicia was rather scattershot and did not involve the taking of statements from most persons who had positions of authority at the time of procurement of the vessel.”

In the course of the inquiry, Port Authority official Leon Grant was suspended and then acting GM Charmaine Lewis was dismissed.

In the report laid in Parliament, the JSC recommended that “an investigation be conducted by the relevant authorities into the circumstances surrounding the involvement of Ms Nyree Alfonso in the tendering exercise for the Super Fast Galicia as stated at a public inquiry of the committee held on September 5, 2017, and we further recommend that a forensic audit be conducted into all the circumstances surrounding the tendering exercise.”

On the procurement of the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2, the committee recommended that the Port Authority “follow the procurement procedures of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act, 2015, in the execution of its procedures and that it develop a vessel procurement manual in which Charter Party Agreements are mandatory.”

In its minority report, the Opposition members said they were “deeply concerned that there may have been retaliatory action taken against persons who provided information to the committee, i.e. several members were suspended and/or fired after having given testimony.”

They also expressed concern that three persons, Christine Sahadeo, Nyree Alfonso and Charmaine Lewis, were denied the opportunity to testify to speak to issues which were raised in public hearings against them.

The JSC started hearings on September 4, 2017. Apart from chairman Independent Senator Stephen Creese, Government members were Energy Minister Franklin Khan, Darryl Smith, Glenda Jennings-Smith, Lovell Francis and Nigel De Freitas while the Opposition members were Mark and Paray.

The T&T Police Service's Victim & Witness Support Unit (VWSU) has noted a 70 per cent increase in domestic violence victims being referred to it.

Speaking at the weekly police press briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port-of-Spain yesterday, the unit's manager Aisha Price-Corbie said they provided assistance to 195 victims between April and June as compared to 116 from January to March.

Price-Corbie said the statistics also showed there was a 34 per cent increase in clients between January to July this year in comparison to the last six months of last year. She suggested that the increases were due to the unit's community outreach programmes.

"We have applied a hands-on approach where we do not just wait for cases to come to the unit, but we have been going out to communities, schools, religious groups and health facilities among others," she said.

While she noted that all domestic violence reports are referred to the unit, Price-Corbie recommended that persons contact them as soon as verbal and emotional abuse is noticed, as this may be a precursor to physical abuse.

"We have seen a number of instances where persons may have underestimated the risks of the volatile nature of their situations," she said.

As she said the unit assists victims by helping devise plans to address the violence, Price-Corbie noted that a large number of violent attacks occur after relationships have ended.

"Persons are reminded that ending a violent relationship does not automatically result in increased safety. Recent incidents would have shown that persons who may have met their demise through domestic violence-related homicides would have recently left an abusive relationship," she said.

In addition to counselling and applications for protection orders, Price-Corbie said the unit assists with intervention options, including safe houses.

During her presentation, Price-Corbie also revealed that since being established the unit has provided counselling and support for at least 14,575 persons who were affected by crime.

"Of the 396 murders recorded for the year to date, the VWSU has been able to assist the families of at least 75 per cent of the victims," she said.

While she noted the unit helps all citizens, she said children are most likely to face lasting effects of crime.

"This is critical in mitigating the effects of unresolved trauma, which from our experience shows that these adverse childhood experiences often form the genesis of dysfunction, substance abuse and future criminal activity," she said.

Derek Achong

Former CL Financial (CLF) executive chairman Lawrence Duprey has been ordered to pay over US$122 million in damages to the company’s former subsidiary in the Bahamas over a failed land development in Florida.

Delivering a 16-page judgement at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain yesterday, High Court Judge Ricky Rahim dismissed Duprey’s defence to the multi-million dollar lawsuit in which British American Insurance Company Ltd (Baico) was seeking the recover the money, which represents the damages awarded to it by the United States Bankruptcy Court in the South District of Florida in July last year.

Provided that Duprey does not appeal Rahim’s decision, the company, based in Nassau, Bahamas, can move ahead to have Duprey’s local assets seized by the court and auctioned off to clear the debt.

During yesterday’s hearing, Rahim granted Duprey’s lawyers a 28-day stay of judgement for them to consider whether to appeal.

As part of the ruling, Duprey is also required to foot 55 per cent of Baico’s legal bill for bringing the claim as well as interest on the judgement amount.

In his defence, Duprey was challenging the US court’s ruling, claiming it was in breach of natural justice as he was not represented by an attorney during the hearings and was not aware of the status of the case.

But Rahim rejected Duprey’s claims as he pointed out that Duprey’s attorney only withdrew from the US case when it had already reached an advanced stage. He also stated that the evidence showed that Duprey was kept informed of the progress of the case, as he was regularly emailed by court officials after his attorney withdrew.

While Duprey claimed he is not tech savvy and needed assistance in reading and replying to emails, the evidence showed that he had communication with the court via email during the hearings in Florida.

“Consequently, the court finds that the defendant’s claims of being unaware of the email were disingenuous,” Rahim said.

The proceedings in the US were over Duprey’s breach of fiduciary duty in the company’s investment in the Green Island real estate development in Osceola County, Florida.

Baico invested US$295 million in the project which resulted in over US$100 million in losses. The losses forced the company into insolvency and led to subsequent multi-national insolvency proceedings. Baico first filed its US lawsuit against Duprey and its other executives in September 2009.

While the executives came to out of court settlements with the company, Duprey, a former director and former chairman Brian Branker continued to challenge the claim. Duprey, Branker and their attorneys were active in the case initially, as they opposed several aspects of Baico’s claim.

After Duprey and his legal team were absent from the proceedings periodically between 2013 and 2015, the company obtained a default judgement against the duo.

Duprey then challenged the default judgement, as he claimed his attorney had withdrawn for the case and he was not aware of its status. These arguments were rejected by US Judge Erik Kimball in July last year.

Duprey did not appeal the judgement in the US, as he claimed he was prevented by health and financial constraints. Duprey raised the issues in his defence against the claim before Rahim but they were rejected as they were not substantiated by evidence.

Baico was forced to file the local proceedings against Duprey after he moved back to Trinidad and Tobago without paying the US court-ordered damages. The local action was required as there is no legislative arrangement for the registering US judgements in T&T.

Baico was represented by Andre Rudder and Bryan McCutcheon, while Vivek Lakhan-Joseph represented Duprey.

In an immediate response afterwards, Lakhan-Joseph said, “Our client has expressed his respectful contention with the earlier High Court decision and is seriously considering the prospect of an urgent appeal, the strength and merits of which he is confident in. Mr Duprey has reiterated his unwavering commitment to exonerate himself from these matters with a view to ensuring his vindication.”

About CLF Financial

The company began with the founding of Colonial Life Insurance Company (Clico) by Lawrence Duprey’s uncle Cyril. During his tenure at the helm, Duprey grew the company into one of the largest conglomerates in the Caribbean, with 65 companies in 32 countries across the world.

In 2009, the Government, through the Central Bank, took control of the cash-strapped conglomerate after Duprey and the company’s executives asked for a bailout.

Between 2011 and 2014, Sir Anthony Colman held a Commission of Enquiry into the collapse of the company and the Hindu Credit Union (HCU).

Last year, the Government successfully petitioned the High Court to wind up the company, as it was still owed most of the over $20 billion that was used for the bailout.

The conglomerate’s large shareholdings in Republic Financial Holdings Limited (Republic Bank), West Indian Tobacco Company Limited (Witco), Angostura Holdings Limited, One Caribbean Media Limited (OCM) and Trinidad Generation Unlimited were later vested in the National Investment Fund Holding Company Limited (NIF).

Between July and August, NIF offered fixed income bonds to corporate and individual citizens in a drive to raise $4 billion.

The company’s collapse also led to a number of lawsuits from policyholders and investors seeking to recoup their investments.

The owner of a funeral home has agreed to repay her son-in-law $2.5 million within the next three years. Yesterday, Malik Carter King (formerly Murad Khan) and his mother-in-law Sharon Ram, who owns Celestial Funeral Service Ltd in Claxton Bay, entered into a consent order in which Ram also agreed to allow him to retain 51 per cent of the business until she repays the money, which he had invested in the business.

In congratulating the parties for putting their relationship first, Justice Frank Seepersad said, “Other than the relationship with God, there is possibly no relationship that is as important as that of a parent and a child. The parties need to be congratulated for their compromise in the matter.”

King, who is in a common-law relationship with Ram’s daughter in Ontario, Canada, took Ram to court to retrieve the money. King said in December 2011 they agreed that they would start a family business in Trinidad and decided to go into the funeral home business because Ram already had a background and experience in it.

King claimed it was agreed that he’d be a 51 per cent shareholder and the sole investor and that Ram would manage the business and that he would be appointed company president. He claimed at Ram’s request he invested money in the business between 2011 and 2013. However, he claimed sometime after that Ram indicated she no longer wanted to be part of the business but she would repay him the money.

Ram disputed the amount of money claimed by King, or that the money he invested in the business was a loan to be repaid. According to the consent order, Ram is to be paid quarterly instalments and in the interim appoint King as the director and that he be entitled to 51 per cent of the business. King also agreed not to cause the business to be dissolved, liquidated or have any of its assets sold unless there is non-compliance with the terms of the order.

No costs were ordered.

Tensions flared during the funeral service of trade unionist and People’s National Movement (PNM) supporter Ainsley Matthews yesterday, where there were numerous verbal clashes between trade union members and government supporters.

Joint Trade Union Movement president general Ancel Roget and National Trade Union Centre general secretary Michael Annisette in particular offended some members of the congregation with their anti-government comments during their tribute to Matthews.

However, despite their differing views, union leaders and politicians agreed that Matthews, 70, was a remarkable man who fought for the “small man,” country and the union movement.

Matthews’ send-off was in true union style, with the banner of the Contractors and General Worker s’ Trade Union (CGWTU), which Matthews led for many years, on the display at The First Church of the Open Bible in San Fernando. Union songs were sung and a cultural tribute in the form of a Carnival-like street procession, incorporating mas characters and music blaring from a truck, was also done in his honour.

In his tribute, which he began with “No retreat, no surrender,” Roget said Matthews always put the union before party.

“When it comes to the workers’ issues, trade union business, defending the small man, party take second place. And that is what struck me about the comrade. Because there are those who put party before country, who put party before union,” Roget said.

Roget said they could pay the greatest tribute to Matthews, who gave his life to trade union movement, by taking a page out of his book. He promised to honour one of Matthews’ dying wishes for unity among trade unions.

“Because of the fights that we have on our hands now and because of his beloved party, because of his overwhelming love for his union, I feel sure that he would have been saddened to see how his party is attacking the trade union movement that he supports.”

This remark caused an uproar by PNM loyalists in the crowd.

Roget was followed by Annisette, who said Matthews expressed deep reservations about how the Government was doing things and treating with labour. He said Matthews was also concerned that union representatives were taken off most of the boards. He said Matthews stood on principle and politicians would do well to follow his example.

Responding to a member of the congregation who shouted, “Great is the PNM and they shall prevail,” he said, “The greatest, as the Bible says, is when you serve the people and not the one per cent. The greatest, as the Bible says, is that the working class is the people of God, that when you send home 5,000 people you are destroying the children of God and at some time you will face the wrath of the Heavenly Father.”

Remembering Matthews as a cultural ambassador, National Carnival Bands Association vice president David Lopez said Matthews faced many challenges but never wavered in representing people. Bashing those who hold on to office and position, he said Matthews was an example of a true representative of the people.

Former government minister and mother of Attorney General Al-Rawi, Diane Seukeran, his good friend, said he was a remarkable and strategic thinking man.

“Shaka (Matthews) had no dilemma in straddling the People’s National Movement and the trade union movement. He had the good sense to know that you don’t divide, you come together and use your strategic influence.”

To the trade unionists, she said the unions, as is the country, are facing difficult times and we must be practical, pragmatic and find a way forward for the betterment of the country.

Matthews’ brother Garnet said Matthews was a God-fearing man, a deacon, sportsman and a philanthropist. Among those attending the funeral were San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello and Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus.

The Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), along with the T&T Police Service and T&T Regiment, yesterday swooped down on Alcan Bay, Chaguaramas, where they destroyed a 50-year-old business and five shacks belonging to fishermen which were deemed to be illegal structures.

The move comes days after the CDA served notices to owners for trespassing on the CDA’s property, having previously called on all squatters to immediately demolish their structures on or before September 7 or face demolition in an August 17 notice.

The Ministry of Agriculture had proposed to develop the location into a state-of-the-art fishing port but no official plans or timeline have been announced.

In light of CDA’s move, owner of boat charter company Island Royalty Cruises, Martin “Green” Hourie, is threatening legal action against the CDA, citing the demolition as an act of victimisation, illegal and a loss of livelihood for him. Hourie also claimed that over $1 million in items had disappeared from his property.

At 7 am, Hourie said he showed up at his business place only to see a contingent of soldiers and police demolishing his business using a fleet of heavy machinery.

The army also crumpled five shacks belonging to fishermen, one of which belonged to Norbert Joseph.

“Is thousands of dollars I spent building this business place and now I am in a state of hopelessness because everything gone down the drain in one fell swoop. They didn’t even give me a chance to move nothing, nor was I served a notice. They come here like a thief in the night,” Joseph told Guardian Media.

Upon checking, Hourie said four boat engines, 400 life jackets, a few air condition units, four computers, two laptops and several security cameras were missing. A $200,000 ice machine was also crushed, while one of Hourie’s boats and a Ford van were destroyed.

Hourie, 58, is a life-long fisherman and owner of seven fishing boats, four pirogues and a luxury tour boat.

Hourie said he applied to the CDA for regularisation of the land he occupies twice, the last being three months ago, but got no response. The first application was sent in 2015.

“Everybody here squatting on the land. I did what I think was right and applied to occupy a lot and a half parcel of land we have been utilising over 50 years now. My father started this fishing business and I took it over, but I got no answer from CDA. I am willing to pay them a rent for the land,” Hourie said, adding he provided jobs for 15 fishermen but was now out of business.

Hourie also provides weekly tours Down the Island to tourists and visitors which generated over $60,000 in revenue for him.

“We are all now on the breadline because I have no business from which to operate. This is an illegal move. To me, this is pure wickedness.

“When I look at this it is pure victimisation because I am the only black man operating down here. I have already consulted with my lawyer on what took place today. I intend to take legal action against the CDA.”

CDA chairman Gupte Lutchmedial did not respond to calls or text messages to his cell phone yesterday, nor did he respond to a voice message left on his phone.

Arima Mayor Lisa Morris-Julian is concerned that the Arima Central Secondary is being targeted by saboteurs.

This after an act of chemical vandalism affected Form One students and teachers at the school. The students complained about itchy skin and runny eyes as a result.

The spillage of chemicals is believed to have occurred over the Republic Day long weekend.

Speaking during the Arima Borough Council Statutory meeting on Thursday, the mayor expressed her frustration over the matter.

“I think the whole situation is horrible. I am very disappointed. It seems that every beginning, at every term...

Arima Central Secondary school is always subject to some form of sabotage,” the mayor said.

In April this year, the school was broken into and computers were stolen. Last year, members of the PTA also made public several acts of vandalism at the school.

“It is extremely suspicious and it always seems to be the purpose is to keep Arima Central Secondary school from operating,” Morris-Julian told the meeting.

The mayor confirmed that officials from the council’s public health unit were assisting with the cleanup, but she expressed concern about the safety of their officers due to exposure to chemicals.

The Ministry of Education confirmed they had dispatched a clean-up team to the school.

A magistrate has given police prosecutors less than 24 hours in which to start prosecuting eight Cuban asylum seekers accused of illegal camping in front of the United Nations building in Port-of-Spain in December last year.

Magistrate Sanara Toon-McQuilkin set the deadline after police prosecutors said they were not ready to start the trial when it came up for hearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court yesterday afternoon.

Police prosecutors explained that while their four witnesses were present and ready to testify, they could not begin the process until the case file receives a stamp of approval from senior police officers.

They explained that the officers who charged the group took the file to the Community Policing Secretariat in February, but were turned away as they were informed that approval from senior officers of the division, where the offence was alleged to have occurred, was required. The file was resubmitted in August but is yet to receive approval.

Toon-McQuilkin appeared to be surprised by the delay, as she pointed out that police prosecutors would have been aware of the situation when the trial date was set several months ago.

“All the witnesses are here, the court cleared the dates and all we are waiting for is a stamp?” Toon-McQuilkin said as she gave them until 10 am today to complete the process.

She also said the accused had a reasonable expectation that the case would have started yesterday.

“If the prosecution cannot put its house in order by tomorrow the matter will be dealt with,” she said.

However, she did not specify what action she would take.

During yesterday’s hearing, police prosecutors also made an application to have the court’s Spanish translator recuse herself from the case, as she may be called as a witness because she served as a translator for the police when the group was arrested.

Toon-McQuilkin said the application was unnecessary, as she would request another translator for future hearings.

Attorney Christophe Rodriguez, who is leading the group’s legal team, also requested that Toon-McQuilkin issue a summons for Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Irwin Hackshaw to appear and testify as a defence witness.

The eight Cubans are Yaneisy Santana Hurtado, 37, Ramon Arbolaez Abreu, 43, Ailys Arbolaez Santana, 18, Yusnes Reyes Santana, 20, Gladys Lisandra Perez Molina, 22, Lisandra Farray Rodriquez, 29, Pedro Santana Maceo and 30-year-old Yuriet Pedrozo Gonzales.

The eight were part of a larger group of 18 Cubans, including three children, who decided to camp outside the UN Office at Chancery Lane as they sought resettlement in the United States as political refugees. They claimed they fled Cuba in 2016 as they were persecuted by that country’s communist regime for a series of pacifist protests.

Some members of the group agreed to take up temporary accommodation and were not arrested by police, while the children, ages nine, seven and one, were placed in the care of the Children’s Authority. The children were returned to their parents after they managed to secure bail and find temporary housing.

The eight who refused to clear their temporary camp were charged under the Summary Offences Act for blocking the pavement. They have all pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a $200 fine or up to a month in prison if convicted. The group is also being represented by Elena Da Silva.

One week after his arrest, Nishal Sankat’s attorney is urging authorities to move his client from prison to another facility under a private physician’s care amid fears over his mental state.

The 22-year-old Sankat, who is the son of former UWI St Augustine principal Prof Clement Sankat, is reportedly under suicide watch at the Brevard County Jail, according to his attorney Greg Eisenmenger. The lawyer has told US authorities that conditions at the prison are taking a further toll on Sankat’s mental health.

Sankat is accused of attempting to steal an American Airlines Airbus from a maintenance hangar at the Orlando Melbourne International Airport last Thursday (September 20).

It is alleged that Sankat jumped a fence at the airport and twice had to be subdued by workers after allegedly attempting to enter the cockpit of a plane.

On Monday, Sankat’s family hired Brevard County attorney Eisenmenger, who has several high profile matters, for the case. Eisenmenger has indicated that the matter has a “mental health component. It is believed the 22-year-old was homesick and depressed.”

“I think we all recognise this went beyond a college student being homesick and trying to go home,” Eisenmenger said to US media.

However, Eisenmenger said Sankat’s motive remains unclear. But the attorney for the student pilot, according to reports out of Florida, claimed his client never intended to steal the American Airlines airbus.

Eisenmenger was told by the family and some friends that they never expected this from Sankat.

Sankat appeared in court last Friday when FBI agents David Joseph Hacker and Christopher Castielo gave testimonies. Hacker said Sankat allegedly intended to harm himself during his attempt to enter the plane and had no regard if he harmed others.

Sankat wore a gown geared to prevent him from self-harm during the hearing.

Sankat was grant­ed a bond on the first two charges but not on the charge of grand theft.

During that hearing, which was officiated by Trinidad born Florida judge Rhonda E Babb, the prosecution ob­ject­ed to a US$22,500 bond on the ba­sis that Sankat is a dual cit­i­zen of Trinidad and To­ba­go and Cana­da and al­so on the ba­sis that he was deemed a threat to the com­mu­ni­ty.

Concerned about the impact of the closure of state-owned Petrotrin on families and communities, the St Benedict Roman Catholic Church in La Romain has organised an evening of reflection to be held this Sunday under the theme Life Before and After Petrotrin.

Parish priest Monsignor Christian Pereira said he, like many others, share “very deeply the anguish many individuals, families and corporate bodies are experiencing as a result of the inevitable developments identified with the proposed closure of the Petrotrin refinery.”

In a release, he explained that within the parish there are many workers, managers, staff and union members who are part of the congregation of the church “and the uncertainty impacts painfully on all of us.”

Pereira described Petrotrin as a “very positive community-based institution” which he said continues to support and assist many families, organisations, sporting and faith-based organisations in the south and even as the organization managed its internal and external challenges, its members have been witnessing a caring engagement with the wider community.

The evening of reflection will have input from Sumar Consultancy Limited, a consultancy group which Pereira said has a “deep root in our faith tradition.”

He explained that their initial presentation and engagement will be from 2 pm to 5.30 pm. They will be assisted by Ronald Tagallie and Angela Iloo as well as the parish support team.

Pereira said he is inviting all individuals, families and corporate persons to participate, “as we seek to support each other through the uncertain paths we have to navigate.”

“As rough as this is, you and I, with the help of each other, have the inner resources to triumph,” Pereira said.

Unipet chairman Dr Afraz Ali is admitting to being concerned about the reliability of fuel supplies with the closure of the Petrotrin refinery.

Ali said, “the supply and reliability of supply is key and critical because we depend on that. We have to have comfort that there will be a continuous supply of petroleum so we can engage in our business.”

Speaking on CNC3’s Business Watch on Wednesday night, Ali said he felt little comfort by assurances from Energy Minister Franklin Khan that there is no need to be concerned about supplies.

“If one knows about the international market and procuring fuel on the international market, these things are done months in advance. If you going in with a short time frame you will not get the best prices,” Ali said.

Ali said the prices at which the fuel is imported will be in US dollars “and then to sell to the local economy in TT dollars, there are lots of questions and lots of dark areas in this process and this train of events that we need very much clarity on.”

Asked whether he expected Finance Minister Colm Imbert to adjust the fuel prices in Monday budget, Ali said, “There are a lot of questions right now and there are no answers.”

He said the “single policy decision” taken to shut down the Petrotrin refinery changes the entire environment of the liquid fuel petroleum industry.

“Come the first week of October, the last batch of crude will go through the refinery. In so doing, one will expect production of liquid fuels will cease at the end of October.”

He said that means “we will have fuel produced by Petrotrin until the third or fourth week in November, in that short eight-week period we need to find out who will supply the market with fuel. Is it going to be Petrotrin, is it going to be the marketing companies availing themselves to open market bidding?”

If it’s Petrotrin that’s importing fuel at international prices to supply the local market, Ali said: “it means with respect to how the subsidy is crafted, that goes away completely, because the local market is no longer the recipient of what we taking out of the ground and producing.”

He expects that the signal sent by Imbert last October to move the pricing structure to one where there is more fluidity in prices at the pump will be announced in the budget.

However, Ali said it would be up to those in authority to make “a policy decision as to do we leave the price at the pump as is, or do we make the adjustment based on the formula worked out.”

“This is not new maths, it is all over the world, it is just whether we are able to make the adjustment having been nurtured on a subsidy over the years. The adjustment will be even more difficult as we expose ourselves to international prices and all the other charges that come with that, as you bring it into the country and distribute,” Ali said.

T&T Manufacturers Association president Ramesh Ramdeen, another panellist on the programme, conceded that the days of cheap fuel may be over. But he said consideration must be given to the impact any increase will have.

“It needs to be on a phased basis. I hope the right decision is made so that the subject is not removed overnight.”

Ramdeen said if the subsidy is removed and fuel prices increase there will be a domino effect on prices of fuel that feed into “transportation that moves goods and services, trucks, tractors, agricultural products and diesel used in production. These increases could have a domino effect on goods and services and retail prices at stores.”

While he expects that something is going to happen, he said they are waiting to see what the Government will do. However, Ramdeen said he believes the Minister needs to “dovetail the economics and political considerations in making such a decision because we don’t want to erode our competitiveness or shoot ourselves in the foot. We talking diversification, we talking about growing the manufacturing sector, but we need to create the enabling environment for the sector to grow.”

Adjustments, he said, will be a “bitter pill to swallow.”

“I highly hope that the Minister will not move from one decision to the next, removing the subsidy should be gradual to allow those affected to absorb the transitioning process.”

Another panellist, economist Gregory McGuire, said he expects “some movement in fuel prices” when Imbert presents the budget on Monday. However, he said he does not expect any significant increases, “given the disquiet around the closure of Petrotrin”

But he reminded the population that the Minister did set out the basis for adjusting prices when he presented the budget in October last year. The cost of oil when the last budget was presented was under fifty dollars, today it is about $80 he noted.

McGuire said if Imbert “sticks to his word we should expect some movement in fuel prices.”

Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet is assuring there are adequate fuel supplies to meet the needs of the population and there is no need to panic. The Petrotrin refinery, he said, will continue to produce for some time yet and in addition, he said short-term arrangements will be entered into to ensure continuity in supplies.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian on the issue yesterday, Espinet assured there is no mad scramble to find a supplier for fuel when the Petrotrin refinery is shut down.

He said, “We have 42 suppliers to Petrotrin, we have narrowed it down to 13. We have gone out to them to do it on a short-term arrangement while we continue to develop a longer term relationship, so there is no question about supply.”

On Wednesday, Energy Minister Franklin Khan told Parliament that there will be a 20-day fuel supply from the date of the closure of the refinery.

“The refinery will be closed on a phased basis during the month of October. Upon its closure there will be a twenty day supply of fuels from stock to start with,” Khan said.

Khan sought to assure there will be no disruption in supply, adding steps were being put in place for the importation of supplies from international traders.

“Requests for proposals from 13 reputable international suppliers are currently out, we don’t forecast any disruption in the supply to the travelling public,” Khan said.

Yesterday, Espinet said the 20-day supply will be twice what the company normally has in stock.

“So for information purposes, there will be double the supply that is normal in the market. Petrotrin normally keeps a ten-day supply, so we are stepping it up to twenty days,” he said.

Espinet said it is not new for Petrotrin to be importing fuel.

“Let me make it clear to you, Petrotrin has in the past imported fuel into the country several times and that happens when you have a problem with the plant and cannot meet supply.”

He also said there is ready access to fuel.

“Every single detail has been worked out on this already, so don’t go scaring the people. The scare-mongering is not worth it.”

Espinet also assured that “there is no mad scramble, there is no need to be concerned, there are adequate stocks on hand.”

He said although the transition begins on October first the refinery will still be producing fuel, “and even if there is a disruption we have things in place to cover disruptions.”

Energy Expert Anthony Paul also told the T&T Guardian there is no need to worry about the 20-day fuel supply. “Twenty days is a number, you could have a tanker come in and bring product. So if you have enough storage you can have a tanker coming and filling every 15 days or so. That is not necessarily a problem.”

In any event, he said Petrotrin will continue to produce fuel for some time.

“So they have two to three months to put contracts in place for the supply of product and ensure that supplies are topped up, I am not worried about that.”

His concern, he said, is the procurement process.

“Who gets the licence? Licensing is where the oversight comes in. Under the law, these suppliers are meant to be licenced.”

However, he said the Ministry of Energy does not have a licensing regime.

“It is notorious in not licensing anybody.”

Paul said while the Public Procurement Act is not yet fully proclaimed and implemented “I worry at how the procurement rules tend to be ignored by the Government. The Central Tenders’ Board Act still applies.”

Petroleum dealers are expected to meet today to discuss issues which arise with the closure of the refinery and the importation of fuel.

Currently, dealers get 17 cents on every litre of super gasoline sold and 14 cents on diesel and regular gasoline. They are uncertain whether their margins will change when the country starts importing fuel.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian, Petroleum Dealers’ Association president Rabindranath Naraynsingh said, “The industry is controlled by the Ministry of Energy. The Minister, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, has the sole prerogative to set the price.”

Up to yesterday, he said there had been no discussion with the dealers on any of the issues which need to be addressed.

Naraynsingh said after the dealers meet they will speak with the media on some ideas they have and some of the concerns which need to be addressed.

Police recovered three firearms in two separate locations following an exercise last weekend. A Trinidad man was arrested and jailed in connection with one of the seizures.

The exercise was coordinated by Sr Supt Jeffery George and spearheaded by Sgts Stewart and Wilson of the Divisional Task Force from 9 pm on Friday to 9 am Saturday.

Two .38 Special revolvers, one 9mm pistol and five rounds of ammunition were found.

Richard Charles, of Princes Town, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with possession of a .38 revolver and five rounds of ammunition found on him in the Crown Point area. He pleaded guilty when he appeared before Magistrate Cedeno in the Scarborough Magistrates Court. He was sentenced to four years for each of the offences, which will run concurrently.

Wpc Edwards of the Divisional Task Force laid the charges.

At a separate location, a .38 special revolver and a 9mm pistol were found in a bushy area at Signal Hill but no one was held in connection with that find.

Approximately 100 grammes of marijuana valued at $10,000 was also retrieved.

The exercise was a part of the initiative “Operation Strike Back” initiated by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, which is geared at retaking communities from the criminal elements.

Following the exercise, arrests were recorded in the Scarborough, Crown Point and Roxborough districts on outstanding warrants, firearm, narcotics and traffic offences.

Uncertainty now surrounds the status of both the chairman and vice chairman of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce's Tobago Division and exactly who is responsible for the management and control of the institution's operations.

This after chairman Claude Benoit was allegedly ousted by the executive and vice-chairman Martin George and a management team were given responsibility to steer the chamber forward during a regular monthly meeting last Monday.

Contacted on the issue, Benoit confirmed the situation, "Yes, I am, but I am awaiting a decision from the headquarter's lawyers before the next step is taken."

Also contacted on the unusual decision, George said, "The vice chairman and a management team are focused on the three important aspects of the Chamber's management at this time."

Pressed for clarification, George repeated his comment and noted that the chamber "is preparing a pre-budget statement, a breakfast meeting with Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith and a Chamber Can Cook event on November 3."

Guardian Media understands that news of Benoit's ousting was sent to the Chamber's Trinidad headquarters via a letter dated September 12, six days before Benoit returned to Tobago on September 18.

In it, the reasons behind the decision were stated. They included "the way the Chamber is functioning," Benoit's "extended absence" and his "lack of communication with the Chamber."

However, Benoit, a two-term Assemblyman, told Guardian Media that when the Trinidad Chamber got the letter they immediately called him to ask what was happening. He said when he returned from vacation he got wind that action was already taken in Tobago and news of the decision was "in the public domain."

Asked if he had visited the Tobago Chamber's office and done his any of duties since then, he said: "I have not been there."

Asked if he was accustomed to making decisions on behalf of the chamber while abroad, the businessman said: "Once I am out of the country the vice chairman does those duties and he has the power to do everything that the chairman can."

Pressed on why a decision might have been taken for his removal, he said since he was appointed in March he had attempted to change the way the chamber was conducting business with the Tobago House of Assembly and Government.

"I have been an Assemblyman and I know that negotiations and dialogues are important if the chamber is to move ahead and I wanted the chamber to go in a particular direction."

He added: "I wanted to set the stage for us to move forward."

Asked how he felt about the situation, he said: "The bottom line is that it doesn't look good."

Guardian Media also spoke with some chamber members, some of whom also attended the monthly meeting where the decision to replace Benoit was allegedly made. However, all of them said the decision was "news" to them. None of the members, however, was willing to have their names or detailed comments recorded.

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

Acknowledging the criticism levelled at him for suggesting that the auditorium at NAPA’s South Campus should have been named after calypsonian Leroy “Black Stalin” Calliste instead of the late chutney icon Sundarlal “Sundar Popo” Bahora, San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello says he has nothing against Bahora.

In an interview, Regrello said the auditorium being named after Popo was cognisant of the tremendous contribution he made.

Speaking at the Hello, This is the Year for Love concert featuring CAL Skiffle Steel Orchestra and BP Renegades at NAPA, San Fernando, on Monday, Regrello said that if he had his way, the auditorium would not have been named in honour of Bahora but rather, Calliste. His comments were viewed by some as divisive.

But he explained that his pitch for the Dr Leroy Calliste Auditorium was more profound as Calliste was born in the heart of San Fernando and has represented the region at every level, beginning in the South tent. Popo is a native of Monkey Town, Barrackpore.

Regrello said, “He is the only San Fernandian to have won the national title and the Bucks Calypso King of the World Competition. He has travelled the world for over 50 years, promoting the art form and has an Honorary Doctorate from the UWI. His music covers a wide range of topics and social issues. His music continues to provoke thoughts and would be a reference point for historians in years to come, it is against that background that I made the comment.

“If l had my way l would have named this place the Dr Leroy Calliste Auditorium. Those accolades warranted cogent considerations. We as a people we need to be mature in our decision-making process and move away from balancing whatever is before us based on ethnicity and gave credit where it is due.”

Eight Cuban asylum seekers, who were accused of illegal camping in front of the United Nations building in Port-of-Spain in December last year, have been freed.

During a hearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Magistrate Sanara Toon-McQuilkin dismissed the charges against the group after prosecutors were not ready to begin the trial of the case, for the third time since August.

On Thursday, Toon-McQuilkin was forced to adjourn the case as police prosecutors said they could not start leading evidence as they were still awaiting instructions from their seniors.

At the start of yesterday’s hearing, prosecutors informed Toon-McQuilkin that the position did not change.

The group’s lawyer Christophe Rodriguez immediately applied for the case to be dismissed.

As he pointed out that the maximum fine, if they are found guilty of the offence, is $200, Rodriguez said: “The costs of coming to court all these times almost exceeds the potential fine.” He also said his clients spent 19 days on remand while they were awaiting bail.

Toon-McQuilkin agreed with Rodriguez as she questioned the delay in getting approval.

Police prosecutors had previously explained that the police officers, who charged the group, took the file to the Community Policing Secretariat in February but were turned away as they were informed that approval from senior officers of the division, where the offence was alleged to have occurred, was required.

The file was resubmitted in August but has yet to receive approval.

“I don’t understand why it would take so long for that complicated process to be completed,” she said as she stated that she was shocked by the inability of the police to rectify the issue between Thursday afternoon and yesterday morning.

She noted that the police officers and their witnesses in the case had attended all hearings and were prepared to give evidence.

“It almost feels like their dedication is for nothing,” Toon-McQuilkin said.

The eight Cubans are Yaneisy Santana Hurtado, 37, Ramon Arbolaez Abreu, 43, Ailys Arbolaez Santana, 18, Yusnes Reyes Santana, 20, Gladys Lisandra Perez Molina, 22, Lisandra Farray Rodriquez, 29, Pedro Santana Maceo and 30-year-old Yuriet Pedrozo Gonzales.

The eight were part of a larger group of 18 Cubans, including three children, who decided to camp outside the UN Office at Chancery Lane in Port-of-Spain as they bid for resettlement in the United States as political refugees was being considered.

They claimed that they fled Cuba in 2016 as they were persecuted by that country’s communist regime for a series of pacifist protests.

A single parent who had no choice but to stay at home with her child after the earthquake damaged Forest Reserve Anglican Primary School was closed has lost her job.

Yesterday, mother of four Joseann Huggins, 37, who was among the parents who staged a placard protest at Fyzabad Junction, pleaded with Education Minister Anthony Garcia to find alternative accommodations for the children.

Huggins said she was fired two weeks ago and now has to hustle night jobs and “small jobs” to make ends meet.

“I was employed before and I called my employer and told him the situation because I am a single parent and I have no one to watch my kids. The baby is presently in daycare, but to put the both of them in daycare with the salary I making it will come like I getting nothing,” Huggins said.

She said her boss sympathised with her, but she was taking too much time off and she was fired.

Her six-year-old daughter attends the Anglican School. Huggins also has an 18-months-old who is in daycare and two daughters ages 16 and 15, who attend secondary school.

Huggins said sometimes she would leave her smaller children with the older ones in order for her to work.

“This not affecting the children alone or the parents alone, it affecting the family because...without an income coming home, what is my outcome,” Huggins said.

The school’s Parent Teacher Association president Shernel Andrews said while Standard Five pupils have been relocated to the Siparia Old Road Presbyterian School the other students are home.

Aware of the the constraints of the economy, she said they had put forward four options to the ministry and the Anglican Board.

She said the options included demolishing the old building and putting up a pre-fabricated structure, relocate to the South Oropouche Community Centre, use the abandoned Hi Lo building or the unused Petrotrin bungalow.

Andrews said they were told that the school would have been relocated to the community centre by the end of this week, but no other information has been forthcoming.

“We are pleading,. We are asking for some answers to the situation,” said Andrews who said the school has a student population of 128 and 14 teaching staff members.

In response, an official from the Education Ministry said the South Oropouche Community Centre has been identified and the Education Facilities Company Limited has already done an assessment. The official said the ministry has since sent a letter to the Community Development Ministry seeking permission to use the centre and is awaiting a response.

SHARLENE RAMPERSAD

The Petroleum Dealers Association (PDA) is calling on Government to meet with them to discuss what will happen to their supply of fuel when Petrotrin is shut down on November 30.

Speaking at a press conference at the PDA’s office in Aranguez, San Juan, yesterday, president Robin Naraynsingh said they had been bombarded with questions from the motoring public about the continuation of fuel supplies post-Petrotrin.

“The PDA has been inundated with a lot of questions with regards to the uncertainty that now exists with the petroleum dealers and the closing of Petrotrin. There are a lot of ambiguities and uncertainties right now out in the public and this is causing a lot of anxiety,” Naraynsingh said.

“We as petroleum dealers are the ones who do the retail industry and we attend to between 300,000 to 400,000 people on a daily basis. As a result of this, we are being asked a lot of questions which we do not have the answers for, the ministry has not engaged us in any consultation to advise us of the rollout of this procedure of the closure of Petrotrin.”

Naraynsingh said the PDA has not been able to meet with Government to discuss the future of their fuel supply and they need some clarity.

“Before you roll out something like this you should have had some consultation with the people involved, so we can allay some of the fears of our customers, which we have not been able to do. We want to have some clarity on the issue, all of us here invest our private money and business needs a certain amount of stability and if we do not have stability it causes a lot of uncertainty.”

He said the PDA also has cost-saving suggestions they would like to present to the ministry if they get a chance.

“Since the product is being shipped to Petrotrin and they are the ones that have the terminals and bunkers, can the petroleum dealers, in an effort to mitigate the cost of fuel, go to Petrotrin directly and buy fuel?" he asked.

"Will that be a cost-saving factor on the population? Can we engage the ministry on this? But how do we get to the ministry when they do not interact with us? So these suggestions to mitigate the cost of fuel to the population, this is one of the suggestions the PDA would really like to explore.”

PDA member Marc Chin Aleong said another major concern for retailers is the reliability of a supply.

“As gas station operators, our concern is the cost of gas as delivered to us, the margin we would be able to make on it and the reliability and consistency of supply and to us. That is what the major issue is to us - what type of supply is it going to be?” he asked.

“Are we going to get it on a consistent basis? If there are expected stock outs, is there enough storage to maintain us over periods of time? Because if we do have to import it, what happens if a hurricane passes by and stops shipments from coming in?”

PDA secretary Saleema Sattar said dealers would also like to see the industry de-regularised, as they are struggling to keep businesses open while paying some 90 per cent of their profits in business levy and the Green Fund levy. She said the retail profit margin for Super and Premium Gas is 22 cents per litre and the margin for diesel and regular gas is 17 cents per litre.

“Our problem is that we have what you call an absolute margin as opposed to a fixed margin - it means that prior to the last increase we were making 17 cents regardless of how the price went up. So if the price is $1, you make 17 cents, if it's $2, you make 17 cents, if the price goes to $3, you are still making 17 cents and your gross profit comes down. In addition, our industry, having no control of the margin, have had to bear the brunt of very serious blows from a taxation perspective, business levy, Green Fund levy.”

She said after taxes, most dealers are left struggling to keep their businesses afloat.