This country has not yet tapped into the possible revenue that can be earned from property taxes, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Michelle Durham-Kissoon has said.

Durham-Kissoon made the comment as she yesterday delivered opening remarks during the graduation ceremony for the Valuation Assessors Training Programme which was held at the University of the West Indies’ Faculty of Engineering, at the St Augustine campus.

“We are not yet tapping into property taxes, this is a potential income for our economy, a major potential. Property tax is a sustainable revenue earning policy that will enable our economy to reduce our fiscal deficit and set it on a path towards sustainable growth,” Durham-Kissoon said.

“The measurement of the opportunity cost from not having the property tax may be a study I am sure would whet the appetite of academia,” she said.

According to the estimates of revenue, the Government can make approximately $500 million in revenue from property tax.

In June, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Ministry of Finance could continue to collect Valuation Return forms from homeowners but that the public had to be informed it would be on a voluntary basis, and not mandatory.

Durham-Kissoon said “tax administration” in this country needed to become more efficient.

Some 187 persons yesterday graduated from the Valuation Assessors Training Programme.

The six-week programme originally started with 207 participants.

Reyann Thomas yesterday spoke on behalf of the participants.

“Despite whatever criticism and resistance, be assured that we have completed top-notch training from some of the best and we are all equipped with analytical, safety and communications skills critical to this field of work,” Thomas said.

Thomas said the programme was “intense” and included the “theoretical and practical learning helped equip the graduates with “a higher level of proficiency in valuation and property economics”.

Commissioner of Valuations, Ric Javed Ali, called on the valuators to strive to surpass expectations.

“Please be reminded that you are presented with a golden opportunity to contribute to the country’s national development,” Ali said.

Ali said the valuators should not underestimate their job as it is not an easy one.

CASANDRA THOMPSON-FORBES

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says the Government is willing to give Tobago stakeholders any reasonable relief that is affordable and available, but gave no solid word about compensation due to the losses incurred due to the ongoing sea bridge woes.

Speaking at the news conference at the Magdalena Grande Beach Resort on Monday after meeting with Tobago stakeholders, Rowley said the Government was very cognizant of the situation and hardships faced by Tobagonians prior to the ferry saga.

“Anything that we can do that is reasonable we would want to consider, but I don’t know about compensation, when you are in the business world there are certain knocks that come your way and if the Government can make any action that will bring about some enumeration to the losses or to the discomfort the Government will, but I wouldn’t commit to any compensation as such,” he said.

Tourism stakeholders have said for the first six months of 2017 the industry suffered approximately $25 million in losses, while their end of year projections also look grim.

Commenting on the possibility of the Government also giving a tax break to the tourism-oriented businesses on the island, he said the matter would be discussed with Minister of Finance Colm Imbert

“When one talks about removing the ten per cent, it is against the background there are other things they are getting which are available, but given that they got this extra hardship which is not of their doing and it also has the effect of damaging the contribution they can make to the economy, we will want to consider what relief we can give, but I wouldn’t want to commit to that this afternoon until I speak to the Minister of Finance to see where he’s at, and where we are at, with respect to the loss of revenue that we are all experiencing at this time,” the PM said.

On the issue of some Tobago businesses at the risk of facing foreclosure and the call for Government to have a conversation with the banking sector to give businesses on the island some reprieve, Rowley said he would not want to be the one to commit to talking to bankers, but noted that they too have a responsibility to keep businesses afloat.

“Bankers are very difficult to talk to. However, in managing the business of the country the banks have clients and without clients there’s no bank, and if their clients are experiencing temporary hardships I’m sure that any good banker would want to keep his or her client alive so that they can live to fight another day,” he said.

Coming out of the meeting, Rowley said there would be medium to short term solutions to the problem. He said the Port Authority of T&T would be working overtime to find a new vessel within two to three months using better procurement practices

“They would be going out using the wider spectrum of call wherever vessels are available from owners and from brokers to find an appropriate vessel in the shortest possible time.

“What has happened before, accidentally or otherwise, the Port ended up restricting its search and selecting under questionable circumstances, that is now a subject under investigation. Now the Government has instructed the Port to open the search in the widest possible way and in the quickest possible time get a vessel here,” he said.

However, Inter-island Transport Committee chair of the Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Diane Hadad, says the Prime Minister’s meeting with stakeholders on the sea bridge problems was baseless.

Speaking at a news conference at the Tobago Chamber on Monday night, hours after Rowley addressed the media on the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting, Hadad said the PM left many unanswered questions

“The meeting would have been baseless in terms of the substance of it was poor. A number of statements that were made can be challenged in terms of information,” she said, noting the chamber had the documentation to refute a lot of the things which were divulged by the PM.

Secretary of the Tobago Chamber David Wong also said he was not pleased with the outcome. He said the Chamber had presented solutions at meetings held previously with Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan before the situation became out of hand, but none of their ideas were taken into consideration

“We got no information about as to what is the near term or immediate fix, the immediate, which is why I am not happy with the outcome of the meeting…In the discussions we had with the Minister of Works and Transport at the Mt. Irvine meeting, he did it almost opposite to us, as if he was intentionally undermining us, or working towards crippling the business sector in Tobago,” he said.

Members of the Tobago business community are appealing to Government to give them a tax amnesty and to speak with the Central Bank and Bankers’ Association to hold their hands on foreclosures.

President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association Chris James told the T&T Guardian on Wednesday that some business owners had already lost their properties and others have been forced to close because of ongoing problems.

James said the problems facing Tobago “are not of our making” and said he was optimistic that if the Government acts on their appeal for help, “do what we ask, put things in place and give us twelve months, we can turn things around.”

His claims came a day after the T&T Guardian reported exclusively that owner of the Enchanted Waters Hotel and Casino in Buccoo, Ken Patino, was facing foreclosure due to a mounting debt he owed the bank.

Currently, James said the hotel occupancy in Tobago is less than 34 per cent. He said for the hoteliers and other stakeholders to break even, “we need a fifty per cent occupancy. International business has declined and we are dependent on the Trinidad market, but we have lost out on the July-August vacation because of the air and sea bridge issues and we will not get that money back.”

He lamented “this is now like the final nail in the coffin.”

Already, he said one of the bigger tour operators on the island, Island Girl, had left and gone to Jamaica.

Business owners, he said, now have to make a choice between keeping staff, paying taxes or meeting loan commitments to the banks “because we can’t do all three.”

James said: “We not earning, we not spending, it’s all grinding to a halt.”

One hotelier who declined to be identified, yesterday told the T&T Guardian he was forced to send home staff because of the decline in occupancy. He too feared his business was also on the brink of foreclosure because he is months behind on his mortgage.

Patino, who has been told by the bank his business will be advertised for sale this weekend, has said even if the banks want to foreclose on businesses they should show compassion.

“If they want to sell our properties they should sell them at the real market value take what we owe them and give us the rest,” he said.

At a meeting with stakeholders in Tobago on Monday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley upset the business community when he intimated to them that he was not in control of the banks and could not tell them what to do.

But James said yesterday that if the Government was serious about diversifying the economy, “they must realise that everyone has a role to play, including the banks.” The Government, he said, has the ability to set the agenda “to help us build industry and economy in Tobago.”

While many view the current situation as a “Tobago problem,” James said it is bigger than that.

“Seventy per cent of the tourism dollar stays in Trinidad, which means that 70 per cent of what we make is spent in Trinidad. That helps to create jobs in Trinidad,” he said, pointing out that Tobago produces nothing and is dependent on supplies from Trinidad.

James said Government must also consider the value which local tourism brings to the economy.

At a time of growing concerns about foreign exchange, he said while it has never been truly worked out in dollars and cents, “when Trinidadians holiday in Tobago it means in theory they don’t need foreign exchange and the money stays here. It just makes a lot of economic sense and is a win win situation for the country.”

James said at the meeting on Monday Rowley took notes of what was being said and “we hope in reviewing those notes that he sees there’s sense in what we are saying.”

Several calls to the mobile phone of Tobago East Member of Parliament Ayanna Webster-Roy were unsuccessful as she did not return calls or answer messages. Webster-Roy has been mandated by the Prime Minister to set up a committee comprising stakeholders to look at issues affecting the Tobago business community.

(Trinidad Guardian)

The media fraternity was yesterday plunged into mourning following the death of former Trinidad Express Publications Editor-News and Features, Deborah John.

John, 61, the daughter of the late veteran journalist George John, died around 11 pm on Wednesday after being diagnosed with cancer.

John’s death is another hard blow for the Express family, coming on the heels of Express Woman Editor Angela Martin Hinds who died last August.

In a Facebook post yesterday, John’s daughter Nadia thanked everyone for their support during her mother’s difficult time.

As tributes poured in for the veteran journalist, former editor-in-chief of the Express Sunity Maharaj said John was born into journalism.

“She toyed with public relations for some years but perhaps it was inevitable that she would eventually take the path of her father, George John, celebrated by many as the Dean of Caribbean journalism,” Maharaj said.

Maharaj said John was a natural writer who spent most of her years as an editor, burnishing and building the writing of others as the silent presence behind some excellent journalism.

“But she was never so withdrawn from the hurly-burly of reporting that she couldn’t be tempted by a story about the arts or artists. As a journalist, that was her special passion. Outside the newsroom, she wrote poetry and short stories and lived the life of the engaged mind. Above all of this, however, she was a mother to Nadia and a sister to Tony and Gregory. May the love they shared sustain them through this time,” Maharaj recalled.

Veteran journalist and former CEO of the Government Information Services Andy Johnson saw John as a “trooper.”

Johnson remembered John leaving the media to work in public relations.

“She worked at Caroni (1975) Ltd and then she returned to the media with a bang.”

He recalled working for the T&T Guardian and covering political beats with John who worked as a general reporter for Express.

“Deborah had an unflappable kind of personality. She would get vex but you would not know. I never saw her annoyed. She was not easily unnerved.”

Johnson said he would always commend John’s experience, passion and commitment to anyone.

Express freelance features writer Nigel Telesford who worked with John for two decades described her as his surrogate mother.

“Deborah was always there to give solid advice. She also mentored me in becoming a well-rounded journalist rather than just being a writer. We would always confer, in and out of the office, on story ideas and how we could develop them. She was a stickler for good and thorough work. She did that down to her last days at the Express. That is what I will remember most.”

Telesford said he was one of the first individuals who knew she was ill.

“She used to tell me when she was having a good or bad day during treatment. Deborah will be missed. I still can’t believe she is gone.”

Having worked closely with John for 12 years, Express freelance features writer Michael Mondezie, broke down in tears, as he described his former boss as being a maternal figure in his life.

In 2005, Mondezie said when he joined the Express Features Desk, John came across as cold.

However, Mondezie said he later realised that John was a very nurturing and protective person when it came to her staff.

“We became friends and she became a mentor in my life and career. I could have called her for advice on most things. She always had a listening ear.”

Describing John as a very private person, Mondezie said she considered him as the son she never had.

He said John’s passing was a great loss to the media fraternity since she was one of the last media workers, who was brought up in the harsh style of journalism.

“She always used to tell her staff that they have it easy in the newsroom because in her days as a reporter editors would have made you cry when you hand in a sloppy copy. To me, she is irreplaceable. What she did for me and my career I owe a lot of gratitude. Deborah spent a lot of time moulding me as a reporter and writer,” an emotional Mondezie said.

Invaluable contribution to journalism

Express editor-in-chief Omatie Lyder described Deborah John as an institution at the Express who was loved and respected by all.

Lyder said she last visited Deborah at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital at the end of July and was heartened by Deborah’s brave smile and alert mind even though the ravages of cancer were obvious.

“Deborah was an experienced editor who exhibited expert knowledge on pan, calypso and the arts and was a mentor and friend to many journalists. Her death is a great loss to the Express and the media fraternity,” Lyder said, adding that Deborah gave selfless service to the Express in various capacities since 1987 which in no small way contributed to keeping the paper number one.

Lyder also noted that Deborah would hang out in places such as Martin’s and the Mas Camp Pub where local artistes performed and the conversations centered on cultural activities and issues of the day so that she kept abreast of developments in the field.

“If there’s one negative thing I would say about Deborah is that she was extremely stubborn and never easily relented on her opinion but that trait also made her a passionate journalist,” Lyder said.

CEO of One Caribbean Media (OCM) Dawn Thomas also extended condolences to John’s family and loved ones.

“Deborah was an extremely talented editor and very much committed to the principles of a free press. She had a special love for the arts and culture and she was able to contribute immensely in these areas.

“The Express is very lucky and the team very privileged to have had Deborah on board for so many years. She has made an invaluable contribution to the success of the Paper and she will be missed,” Thomas said.

John leaves to mourn her daughter Nadia, brothers Anthony and Gregory, sisters-in-law Paula and Lydia and family and friends.

Vice president of the Media Association of Trinidad & Tobago (MATT) and senior Sunday Guardian reporter Joel Julien said John along with deceased Editor at Large Keith Smith and Hinds were the engine room of the Express.

“I am sure Express is feeling it in the newsroom because the three of them have passed away since 2011,” said Julien, who also worked alongside John at the Express.

Julien said John always kept her fingers on the beat of arts and culture, which she loved dearly.

“One thing I could say she always guided reporters on how to write a proper story. She was a decent mentor, family oriented, passionate journalist and an amazing woman. I really believe her death is a great loss. It would also be a hard void to fill. It’s a sad day in journalism.”

Julien said John proudly carried on her father’s legacy.

MATT in a release also paid tribute to John, stating that she was a “passionate journalist and like her father George John enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the profession,” stating she will be missed.

A socially displaced man was granted $25,000 bail when he appeared in court yesterday charged with the unlawfully killing another homeless man last week.

Richard King, also called Ricardo Phillip, 33, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle, charged with manslaughter.

It is alleged that he stabbed Ian Grant, 36, in the abdomen following an argument at the Centre for Socially Displaced Persons, at Town Council Street, Port-of-Spain, on August 15. Both men were residents of the centre.

King will return to court on September 21.

Despite being granted bail on 444 fraud-related offences and nine wildlife charges, the wife of a police inspector was still behind bars at the Woman Prison in Arouca last night.

Relatives of Tinisha Gopaul-Ramdass spent most of the day yesterday at the Princes Town Magistrates Court trying to get the paper work approved for her bail.

Gopaul-Ramdass was granted bail which has to be approved by a clerk of the peace on fraud and wildlife charges after 8 pm on Wednesday, by First Court Magistrate Indira Misir-Gosine, in the sum of $150,000 and $25,000 respectively.

Misir-Gosine began reading the charges against Gopaul-Ramdass around 1.15 pm and the last charge was read around 8.05 pm. Following this, attorney Herbert Charles then made an application for bail, submitting that Gopaul-Ramdass was never before charged with a criminal offence. He said Gopaul-Ramdass, who was arrested last Thursday, was married to a police officer, employed as an accounts technician and was willing to abide by any bail conditions.

The fraud-related charges, which are the most ever to be laid by the Fraud Squad against one person, was laid following investigations headed by Senior Supt Totaram Dookhie and ASP Kent Ghiysawan.

They included over 100 for money laundering, over 100 for falsifying a document and over 150 for larceny amounting to the sum of $2.8 million. It is alleged that Gosine-Ramdass committed the offences during 2011 and 2014, while she was employed as a clerk at A-Tech Products and Services Ltd in Princes Town.

The charges were laid by Sgt Samuel. She is also jointly charged with her husband, Insp Darryl Ramdass, on the nine charges of being in possession of protected birds. Gosine-Ramdass pleaded not guilty to the wildlife charges. She was also represented by attorneys Mosi James and Shirvani Ramkissoon who held for attorney Criston J Williams. Sgt Aldwin Toussaint prosecuted in the matter.

Ramdass was arrested following a raid of his office at the Organised Crime, Firearms and Narcotics Bureau-based at the Piarco International Airport.

He appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday charged with being in possession of the five macaws, two toucans and two parrots without having the relevant permits. Ramdass was granted $10,000 bail and the matter transferred to the Princes Town Court for September 4. It is expected that his matter would be adjourned to September 20—the same day of his wife’s matters.

Hiker Richard Baird died from a broken neck after he fell head first some 600 feet down a precipice in the Aripo forest during a hike to Hollis Waterfalls, his autopsy revealed yesterday.

Baird went hiking on Saturday and never made it out.

His body was found Tuesday and removed the following day as it was difficult to retrieve his body due to the dense forest and mountainous terrain.

In a telephone interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov said Baird’s death was accidental.

Apart from the broken neck which would have killed him within minutes, Baird suffered a blow to the side that ruptured his liver, but the injury was non-fatal, the doctor said.

Alexandrov opined that Baird fell head first and his body fell over forcing his neck to flex “beyond the physical limit”, severing between the last vertebra and the first thoracic vertebra.

Baird was reported missing after the hike was completed Saturday.

Some 60 hikers were separated into two groups and at the end of the hike. Both groups assumed Baird was with the other after he stopped to rest. Baird’s son, Kern, told CNC3 that he did not hold the hiking group, Island Hikers, responsible for his father’s death.

In a media release yesterday the Permanent Local Content Committee (PLCC) for the Energy Sector, which Baird was a member, offered their condolences to the family, describing the 55-year-old computer technician with Petrotrin as a true patriot.

“Richard was thoughtful, patient, good humoured and accommodating” the release stated.

A baker who went to work on Wednesday and never returned home was found dead at the bottom of a precipice by Valencia villagers yesterday.

Leslie-Ann Gonzales’ pants was found below her knee and her body bore several marks of violence, police said.

Police reported that around 7.30 am on Wednesday, Gonzales, 42, a baker of Oropouche Road, Valencia, left for her work place at Linda’s Bakery, El Socorro, San Juan, but never returned home that day.

The woman lives with her sisters, who reported her missing when she did not come home.

Gonzales, who was originally from Sunrees Road, Penal, was found by villagers at the bottom of a 60-foot precipice around 4.30 am.

A report was made to the Valencia Police Post and party of Police officers headed by Supt Nabbi, ASP Khandai, Sgt Edwards, PCs Ramkhelawan, Kangalee, Date, Benoit and WPC Clarke responded.

Police believe the woman was gang raped, thrown down the precipice and left for dead. But they believe she also put up a fight with her attackers.

Neighbours who lived close to Gonzales reported hearing screams for help around 9.30 pm the night before, but never took them seriously as they claimed villagers always scream to frighten others.

District Medical Officer Dr La Borde viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Forensic Sciences Centre, St James.

RALPH BANWARIE

Newly-appointed Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte has promised to bring to the public sector an efficient water, electricity and telephone services across T&T when he picks up duty today at his Port-of-Spain office.

Hunte gave the commitment after he received his instrument of appointment yesterday by President Anthony Carmona at President House, St Ann’s, which was attended by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and the new minister’s family members and friends.

Hunte said he was proud to be part of Rowley’s Cabinet, especially during these challenging times.

He stated that the ministry he was given to manage was a “very sensitive” since it provided responsibility for water and electricity which affect the daily lives of citizens.

“I am going to give dedicated, hard work… passionate work as I have done in the private sector to try and make the ministry as effective and efficient as possible especially in these times where efficient is going to be very important where we have a lot less to go around.”

Why did he leave the banking sector in Ghana to take up a Cabinet post? Hunte said he developed a lot of skills in the private sector, which involved working with people and to serve, which he now wants to bring to the public sector.

He said he was offered the ministerial position by Rowley about two weeks ago.

Having served as an alderman at the San Fernando City Corporation many years ago, Hunte does not see himself as a newcomer to politics.

As the fifth minister to be appointed in the ministry since the PNM took up office two years ago, Hunte when asked about the firing and controversy that surrounded his predecessor Marlene Mc Donald, he said he preferred to keep that controversy in the past.

He also does not see the ministry as being a blight but as a challenge and a privilege.

Asked what would give him the edge over predecessors, who were either sacked of reshuffled by Rowley, Hunte said he was not privy to all that happened in the past or “what had made them not successful” but what drove him in the private sector was based on the delivery of service and serving people.

“I am looking forward to what is ahead of me. This is the time for me to contribute to my country. That is what motivated me to take up this opportunity by the Prime Minister. Everybody always talks about why you should get into politics. And we always want to point our fingers about politicians getting into politics. And I strongly believe that if good people do not get into politics then a void is created. I have always been one that articulated that view.”

Getting into politics, Hunte said one must be authentic as a leader in whatever they do.

“Therefore when asked to serve I could not stand and say all the challenges that we are facing and then say because of the challenges, I cannot.”

Today he will meet with top officials at WASA, T&TEC and TSTT and his permanent secretary to get an idea of the pressing issues at his ministry.

He would do an assessment and set realistic goals in a timely fashion which he would execute.

There’s a change this year to the annual Independence Day celebrations.

The highlight of Independence night is usually the fireworks display at both the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, and the San Fernando Hill, San Fernando.

The ANSA McAL Group yesterday confirmed that the conglomerate has taken up the mantle of becoming the official sponsor of the fireworks display to celebrate the country’s 55th anniversary of Independence.

The fireworks usually light up the skies for 25 minutes from 8 pm on Independence night, in north and south Trinidad.

ANSA McAL, which also returned the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the country after one was found on eBay last year, said the gesture is a way of recognising the patriotic spirit of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, and a way to say thank you for their support.

The conglomerate said the fireworks sponsorship is an ongoing commitment, with similar support expected to continue for the next few years.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has been given misinformation on the tendering process and deal involving the Ocean Flower 2.

Bridgemans Services Group vice president Andrew Purdey made the comment yesterday as he sought to clear the company’s name in the ongoing ferry fiasco in an exclusive interview given to Guardian Media.

Purdey said he had to come to Trinidad to clear the company’s name following statements made by Rowley. He said the comments made “a few days ago that something was wrong with the procurement process, our name was involved, I felt I was compelled to come and speak to it.” He said it was “a bit saddening” that the client, the Port Authority, had been reacting to what he said was “false information.”

“Where does all the negative energy come from? I have no idea. One thing I don’t like is that the client reacts to the false information when they have the facts before them.”

He said acting against a time constraint to fill a gap on the sea bridge, the Port Authority of T&T had selected the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 out of 13 vessels put to it by Bridgemans.

Purdey said his company submitted 13 vessels to the PATT in the period April 12 to “the time we got the contract on June 16th.” They owned none of the vessels offered, but acquired ownership of the Cabo Star on June 9 and the Ocean Flower on June 20, mere days before the announcement by the PATT and Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan that the two vessels were to take up service on the sea bridge.

He insisted the Port acted responsibly in the interest of the country, saying PATT admitted there was a weak system on the sea bridge “and they wanted us to fill a gap to make sure that they had the sea bridge in effect. I think the Port acted responsibly and we acted with them to supply them with various options.”

Asked when the negotiations with the Port Authority began, Purdey said, “We had first contact from the brokerage group on April 10.”

The brokerage firm Horizon, he said, had “reached out to the market and we responded on April 10th.”

Two days later, the company, through the broker, was making submissions to the Port.

Their point of contact, he said, was Kenny Shipping, owned by Lester Kenny, who identified himself to GML as the local agent for the brokerage firm referred to Purdey as “Horizon,” but which Kenny kept referring to as Verizon.” Kenny, Purdey said, sent all their submissions “the Port directly.”

Asked how he came into contact with Kenny, he said it was done through one Diego Serrano, who was their point of contact at Horizon.

Purdey admitted he was the “chief negotiator for Bridgemans,” and at the Port he said several board members were very effective, as he singled out vice chairman Adrian Beharry and Port CEO Charmaine Lewis. He said at the negotiations with the port there were always “four, five, six people in the negotiations. They were extremely professional and very organised.” Sometimes, he said as many as 10 people were involved. His team was three.

During the negotiations, he said the maintenance history of both the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 were put on the table.

Purdey explained: “We were working we believe on a competitive process. We were bringing ships to the port for their assessment and we kept supplying until we found something that suited their needs.”

But he said the high tourist season in Europe made getting vessels hard. It was only when the Port agreed that the Cabo Star and the Ocean Flower 2 were suitable that Bridgemans “did an arrangement with the comptroller of the ship” and proceeded to purchase it, Purdey said. He refused to divulge the cost they paid for the vessels, saying “we had to pay premium to take it out of service and to get it for the port.”

Purdey denied the vessels were laid up and had not been operating since August last year. Lloyds Registry, he said, had examined the vessels and they were deemed to be good.

He also denied anyone from the ruling People’s National Movement was part of the process.

“I have been in business for thirty one years and I have an excellent reputation. I will fight to the death anyone who says to the contrary,” he said noting the company and its principals “do not need exposure to anything that is not ethical.”

He said on April 10 the company saw an opportunity and “we pursued it.”

Kenny also denied he had any links with the PNM, saying “My God no, it’s a frenzy. I am not affiliated with the PNM government, there is no one affiliated with the PNM Government at Kenny Shipping at all.”

As to his relationship with Horizon, he said the company had done business with him before and contacted him when they saw the Government was looking for vessels for the sea bridge.

Purdey said while the Government had paid a mobilisation fee for the Cabo Star, “we have received no money for the Ocean Flower 2 whatsoever.”

He said he was willing to cooperate with all and every investigation which has been launched into the procurement of the vessels, saying “I am open to meet with anybody. I do not want to get into nasty details of false allegations. I want to get solutions and if it means meeting with anybody to say here are the facts I will meet any of them any day of the week.”

Vessel in excellent condition now

While Purdey walked with several documents relating to negotiations with the PATT, including the contract, he declined to give us copies of the documents, saying he needed permission from the Government to do so. But he said if asked he was willing to present the documents to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament, which begins public hearings into the circumstances surrounding the procurement of the vessels on September 4.

Asked who from the PATT invited him to meet with them, he said “Charmaine Lewis was the point of contact.” Having provided the port with information on vessels which they had sourced, he said they were invited to come and meet with them. It is normal, he said, for such negotiations to take three to six weeks and that is exactly what happened in Trinidad.

While the Cabo Star arrived within the contracted time and has been operating the sea bridge, the PATT has cancelled the charter for the Ocean Flower 2. Purdey admitted the cancellation was in keeping with the exit clause of the contract which dealt with late arrival.

Asked why the vessel missed the two deadlines set for its arrival here, he said as a less robust vessel the Transatlantic crossing from Korea to Japan, Russia and Andalusian Islands was tough. The vessel, he said, having sailed “2000 nautical miles had a catastrophic engine failure, losing a bearing and a piston.”

He said 2000 nautical miles is like 100 trips between Trinidad and Tobago, suggesting that any vessel which does that kind of mileage without maintenance could run into problems.

Purdey felt the problems which developed were because of the time constraint imposed by the PATT to get the vessel here by early August. The mechanical failures “were unplanned,” but he insisted the PATT was kept in the loop every step of the way.

“But we had engine failure and we lost 14 days,” he said, adding when vessel got to Panama maintenance work was done and it is now docked in Curacao holding because of a “lull in negotiations” with the Port.

Purdey said: “Now the ship is in such excellent condition it will be in service for a long time. We did work from head to toe.”

While he did not see the report of the PATT chief engineer Brendon Powder, he said the report was used to address a number of issues on the vessel.

He said Bridgemans is now hoping to “open up discussions in the near term” with the PATT to get the Ocean Flower 2 reintroduced and have given them some undisclosed options for their consideration.

He boasted that the Cabo Star was transporting more vehicles on the sea bridge than its predecessor, the Super Fast Galicia and said they are continuing to improve the service working alongside the PATT. He said the vessel is in “good mechanical condition and is certified” and they were hoping to increase the cabin space on the vessel from the current 130 to 160 within the next two months.

As to truckers’ complaints about the lack of cafeteria and other amenities on the vessel, he said under their contract “we provide the vessel and the crew” while the other amenities are for the PATT to attend to.

Lester Kenny, the local agent for Bridgemans Services Group LP, says he has been in business for 23 years and has been very active.

Kenny, who operates his ‘shipping agency’ out of his Freeport home, told Guardian Media yesterday that he is also not affiliated to the ruling People’s National Movement.

Although he has been in the business 23 years, his company was formed in 2014, coincidentally the same year Bridgemans Services started its operations in Vancouver, Canada.

Bridgemans said yesterday it has completed several complicated projects transiting vessels from Eastern Europe to Australia and there have a project currently under way off the coast of Belgium which is supporting wind farms, a project which Bridgemans’ Andrew Purdey said is “working beyond expectations.”

Purdey said the company’s offices are in Vancouver. Both Bridgemans Services Limited PLC and Bridgemans Trinidad Limited, according to Purdey, have the same directors - four Canadians and one US citizen. He said there is no Trinidad and Tobago national on the board of Bridgemans Trinidad Ltd.

The directors are Brian Grange, Andrew Purdey, Paul Cheung, Larry Thompson and Peter Kutell, the lone American who works out of the company’s Vancouver office.

Purdey said the company has three vessels, the Cabo Star, Ocean Flower 2 and the Bufort, which they own and “there is no debt so we are a very serious company with a lot of resources and capacity.”

Defending the company in the face of suggestions the tendering process involved in the acquisition of the Ocean Flower 2 by the Port Authority of T&T was compromised, Purdey said Bridgemans is an “ongoing business with hundreds of employees and a very good reputation.” He said the company’s “financial hub and operating headquarters is in Panama.” He said they are hoping to do “a good job in Trinidad and get a 36-month contract so that we can make some money. Right now we are taking a huge risk and look at how it is going.”

“We are here for the long term because the only way our investment can pay off is if we are here for the long term,” Purdey told the T&T Guardian.

Purdey said coming to T&T was an eye opener.

“I have never been used to full contact media,” he said, as he lamented that in this country it appeared contracts were negotiated through the media.

It is also the first time his company had one operational contract while another was under investigation.

“I have never been in this situation before and I don’t like it at all,” he said.

As for Kenny, he said his company, Kenny Shipping, “was just a normal services company and in 2014 I made it a limited liability company.”

He refused to say whether his company had sourced any other vessel at any time for any lease put out.

Kenny said his company had a board of directors but he refused to disclose names. He did say, however, that he wanted to move his business to the cruise ship complex.

The judiciary worker who made a false report that a taxi driver raped her yesterday walked away with a slap on the wrist, after the victim begged a Princes Town magistrate to give her chance.

After Deonath Ramsubhag, 51, urged the court not to impose a fine, send the accused to jail or do anything which would result in her losing her job, Second Court Magistrate Nalini Singh ordered Wendy Isahark, 45, to serve 250 hours of community service.

However, the magistrate felt an appropriate sentence for the crime would have been six months jail.

She said, “What you have done is grave and malicious. I think to fabricate a rape case against a man is one of the most horrendous things you could do as a woman. All he has at the end of the day is his word.”

Isahark, a telephone operator at the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court, had pleaded not guilty to wasteful employment of police time at her first court appearance last Thursday. She was granted $10,000 own bail. However, when she reappeared before the magistrate yesterday she asked for a maximum sentence indication. The magistrate requested Ramsubhag’s presence to solicit his views in the matter and stood down the case.

Addressing the court when the matter resumed, Ramsubhag said the allegation was not true. However, he declared, “I forgive this lady for this. Don’t send her to jail. Please, please don’t do that.”

Although he spent the night in jail and fellow taxi drivers were warning people not to travel with him, he said, “I forgive she. Is just my reputation get damage. The taxi men telling me all kind of thing.”

When the magistrate told him the sentence carries a six-month term in prison, he said, “No, no, please don’t do that.”

Isahark’s attorney Petronilla Basdeo interjected, saying, “I think it is a matter of the heart.”

The victim was also against community service until the magistrate explained to him that once she completes the community service she could return to the court to have her conviction wiped clean.

“Please, don’t let she lose she work. What will happen to she,” he begged.

Isahark subsequently pleaded guilty.

Reading the facts, prosecutor Sgt Shazeed Mohammed said around 8.30 pm, Isahark went to the Barrackpore Police Station where she alleged the accused raped her at Lothians Road, Princes Town around 3 pm. Cpl Nanan conducted inquires, Ramsubhag was arrested, Isahark was medically examined and statements were recorded from both parties. When Cpl Nanan told her the following morning that his information was that she was not telling the truth, she said, “Officer, I never get rape. I lie.”

Asking the magistrate for leniency yesterday, Basdeo said her client’s statement was not entirely lies. Employed at the court for the past 12 years, Basdeo said Isahark endured harassment and unwanted advances prior to her making the report.

“It was only done to get rid of the harassment,” said Basdeo, who further submitted that Isahark was the sole provider for her eight-year-old child.

She said the accused pleaded guilty, was a first time offender and wished to apologise to the police. When the magistrate noted the apology should be directed to Ramsubhag, Isahark turned to him, saying, “I am sorry.”

He replied, “Accepted.”

Giving reasons for her sentence, the magistrate considered, among other things, how Ramsubhag begged the court on her behalf. She, however, said Isahark’s lies would have cost the police service eight hours of manpower, the state incurred expenses, wasted already-scarce police resources and cost Ramsubhag his freedom and reputation. However, she said the most troubling thing was that “your action diminishes the public’s view on real rape victims. What is the public supposed to think now?”

The magistrate ordered her to report to the Probation Officers department to be assigned her tasks, complete her community service within a year and return to court on September 21.

Speaking afterwards, Ramsubhag said he knew Isahark because she had travelled with him a few times. Asked why he forgave her, he said, “I know what it is to get lock up. I did not want to put her through that. I wasn’t worried. I know I did not do nothing.”

Ramsubhag then walked across to the road where his car was parked to give his wife, who was with their young child, the good news.

Cabinet yesterday took a decision to wind up State-owned Caribbean News Media Group (CNMG) television and restart the media house under its former name T&T Television (TTT), which was well known years ago for programmes like Community Dateline and Panorama News.

Confirmation came from Minister of Communications and Public Administration Maxie Cuffie, who said the reason for CNMG’s impending closure was because it was not performing to its mandate and had failed to attract sufficient market share.

Cuffie said the decision was not only to wind up CNMG, but to restart TTT. He said TTT, which closed it doors over a decade ago, had maintained a strong brand identity even up to today.

“What we are attempting to ensure, that we have seamless transition from CNMG to TTT.... TTT will be devoted to local content, local programming and government information. This decision is in keeping with the recommendations of the committee that was engaged to deal with the future of CNMG.”

In 2015, Cuffie said there were consultations and a report was produced by the then board of CNMG and the Government Information Services Limited (GISL).

He said Government is currently doing a manpower audit to determine what positions and levels would be needed at TTT.

Cuffie said CNMG’s current staff are free to send in their applications to the new organisation. He opted not to say when CNMG will be wound up, saying a news conference will be held today to give further details on their next move.

Asked what was the hold up in making its decision, Cuffie said they needed too look at CNMG’s asset base.

“There are several competing directions at which we could have gone. We have taken some time to actualise the recommendations, but I think everyone agreed and understood that CNMG was not performing according to its mandate. CNMG had failed to gain the kind of market share that had been envisaged,” he said.

In going forward, Cuffie said they would go back to TTT local programming and news, which would be broadcast on channels 2 and 13. They will also keep radio station Sweet 100. Cuffie said recently, members of the local film industry asked for TTT to be revived, which they took into consideration.

The leader of a Rio Claro-based hiking club has warned hikers to be aware of the potential dangers involved during expeditions.

Veteran hiker Dominic Guevara and his wife Elizabeth Castillo-Guevara, who operate the group Los Exploradores, said they were deeply saddened to learn of the death of hiker Richard Baird, 55, whose body was discovered on August 22 in the Aripo forest. His body was found at the bottom of a 600-foot precipice.

Baird, who was a part of a group of 60 people of the hiking club Island Hikers fell and broke his neck during the return journey. He was only discovered missing at the end of the hike and his body was found three days later.

Baird had complained cramps and the sole of one of his shoes had come off.

Guevara said potential hikers and elderly people must be in good health before attempting any of the hiking trails in T&T. He said difficult trails must not be attempted by the elderly and people receiving medical treatment. Guevara said he usually asks potential hikers several questions to ensure measures are in place for their safety.

“A hike is an activity and not a lime, we move along a marked trail to ensure that no one is lost. I would usually lead the hike and would remain in front, no one is to pass me at any time, and there is someone in the middle and back. If we have a large group we would split the group into two teams. If a hiker has to answer a call of nature (use the toilet) or even having cramps the whole group has to stop, no one is left behind and Los Exploradores does not tolerate the tossing of garbage into the environment.

“Before the hike I would visit the nearest police station and furnish the police with information, copies of the IDs of all hikers and contact numbers. After the hike is over I would also inform the police that we have all returned safely. This is for added security. I ensure that communication and cooperation remain essential at all times,” he said.

“Hiking is an adventure, it’s for people with a spirit of adventure who want to explore and feel the need to explore and we want to do that in a safe environment.”

He said members are trained in first aid and extra safety equipment such as life jackets are carried on the hike.

Guevara urged all hikers who participate to undergo a medical test to ensure their bodies can cope.

“When you hike, it means you are walking from a lower elevation to a higher elevation. On the other hand, when you walk, it means that you are only trekking a relatively smooth and flat path, without too many hurdles. Hiking entails a lot more effort than walking since the path in hiking trails is more difficult,” he said.

Police have seized five illegal guns, a quantity of ammunition and illegal drugs in two separate raids.

On Thursday, officers from North Eastern Division, assisted by the Canine Branch, searched several areas in Chinapoo, Morvant, Oudan Trace, El Socorro and La Canoa Road, Santa Cruz, where they found four handguns, a release from the Police Service stated.

Acting on a tip-off, police officers searched an abandoned lot of land, at Chinapoo Village where they found one Tanfoglio pistol and a revolver, along with two magazines, containing three rounds of 9mm ammunition.

A 25-year-old man of Morne Coco Road, Maraval, was arrested in connection with the find.

The officers then proceeded to Oudan Road, El Socorro, where they conducted a search of a bushy area and found a Walther pistol, outfitted with one magazine and 492 grammes of marijuana.

At La Canoa Road, Santa Cruz, they found a Glock pistol, along with one magazine containing three rounds of 9mm ammunition, and 571 grammes of marijuana hidden under a sheet of galvanise.

Three men, an 18-year-old of Chinapoo, Morvant, a 47-year-old of St Barbs, Laventille, and a 28-year-old of La Canoa Road, were arrested following those seizures.

Members of the Western Division Task Force arrested a 25-year-old Diego Martin man for being in possession of a firearm and a quantity of ammunition on Wednesday.

Officers were on mobile patrol around 12.40 pm, in the Four Roads District, when they stopped the suspect, of Andrew Trace, Diego Martin, who was walking along Salazar Street and the Western Main Road, St James.

A Glock 26 Austria pistol, fitted with a magazine, loaded with eight rounds of 9mm ammunition, was seized.

Senior members of the Police Service intend to meet Diego Martin residents on Sunday in an attempt to quell the ongoing gang warfare and violence in the district.

On Thursday, several officers of Western Division walked through the La Puerta community in an attempt to reach out to the residents in wake of the murder of reputed gang leader Curtis “Birdman” Smith.

Smith, 33, a contractor was killed nearby his La Puerta Avenue on Monday shortly after he was videotaped kicking a man at the side of the road.

A report said Smith was walking along La Puerta Avenue when a Nissan AD wagon pulled alongside him. The occupants got out and opened fire. Smith was shot about the body and died on the spot. Police said they collected over 40 spent shells at the crime scene.

Investigators said there were several suspects narrowed down and they were also reviewing CCTV footage in the area.

A senior officer in the Western Division said yesterday patrols have stepped up since the fatal shooting.

During the past few months, there have been several homicides reported in the district.

ACP Radcliff Boxhill, Supt Peter Dominique, Insp Godfrey Vincent, PC Shondell Turner, WPC Sue Ann St Rose visited various members of the community including, shopkeepers, at La Puerta Drive.

Officers said the residents said the move was necessary to ease the fears in the community.

The meeting will be held outside the Pentecostal Church at Hillview Crescent in Diego Martin.

Two teenagers who were reported missing are back home safely.

A media statement from the Police Service said Nadia Holder, a 16-year-old of Santa Cruz, who was reported missing by her father, Patrick Holder, on August 1, was found.

And Kiyarah Moore, 17, of Trincity, who was reported missing on August 6 by her mother Genevieve Blake-Moore, has also been found.

No details of where and how the missing girls were found were disclosed by the Police Service.

The Police Service thanked the public for its assistance in ensuring the safe return of the teenagers.

Six days after an alleged fight with his younger brother Paul Mark Teeluck ended in death, Penal labourer Avalon Thompson appeared in the Siparia Magistrates’ Court on charges of murder and wounding with intent.

Thompson, 36, of Latchoos Road, Penal, was charged by Cpl Sunil Ramoutar of the Homicide Bureau of Investigation, Region III on Thursday, following instructions from Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul.

He appeared before Magistrate Ava Vandenberg-Bailey in the Siparia Second Court yesterday. Teeluck was read the charge that on August 19, he murdered Teeluck, 28, at their home.

He was also charged with wounding his 71-year-old mother, Dhamrajayia Thompson. He was remanded into custody and the matter was adjourned until September 21.

Teeluck was chopped during an altercation with a male relative last Saturday. When Dhamrajayia tried to intervene, she too was chopped. They were both taken to the Siparia District Health Facility where Teeluck was pronounced dead.

The Ministry of Education is planning to invite senior officials of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to T&T to explain last week’s delay in the release of Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) results.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia made the announcement following a meeting between him, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis and the principals of 125 secondary schools across Trinidad at the Government Campus Plaza at Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

The meeting centred around the delay in the release of the results which left thousands of students frustrated last week.

The results were expected to be released online, last Wednesday before it was deferred by two days. While the results were made available by the Barbados-based council by the deadline, students were unable to access them as its website crashed due to the increase in traffic.