By Raffique Shah
December 14, 2015
Central Bank governor Jwala Rambarran was the unlikeliest man to kick the hornets’ nest, but that he did when he named the firms that used the most foreign exchange (forex) over the past three years.
Amidst a cacophony of complaints from businesses and individuals about being denied adequate sums of forex for legitimate uses, Rambarran went on the offensive by identifying the 18 biggest users.
Continue reading Whey the money really gone
By Ian Lambie
December 16, 2015 – newsday.co.tt
WE SHOULD all be ashamed, whether we be parliamentarian or proletariat who elected them to Parliament and permitted them to do their own thing for five years, that our legacy to our grandchildren and to our great-grandchildren will be: debt.
Since 2009 and up to 2015, our country has been spending more than it earned by approving deficit Budgets, with one exception — in 2010.
Continue reading Debt — legacy to our grands
By Raffique Shah
December 14, 2015
Last Wednesday, amidst much ceremony but little pomp, Major-General Kenrick Maharaj took his last parade as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and proceeded into retirement, one month short of his 56th birthday.
Brigadier Rodney Smart was named as the new CDS.
Continue reading Injustice to a soldier
By Stephen Kangal
December 12, 2015
Updated: December 13, 2015
The ratio dicendi identified by Governor Jwala Rambaran for the historic and unprecedented disclosures of the highest users of the scarce, rapidly dwindling and vital stock of FOREX over the past three years may be summarized as high and compelling public interest, potential threat to the integrity of the sensitive and fragile current financial system and the CBTT’s own core remit as clearly set out in statutes and objects.
Continue reading Ecology of Central Bank’s Governor Disclosures
By Jada Loutoo
December 12, 2015 – newsday.co.tt
IT’S NOT alleged…it’s a fact.
Ian Alleyne, host of the Crime Watch show which airs on CNC 3, has been ordered to pay $630,000 in damages to local contractor Junior Sammy and his son Shaun as well as the company Junior Sammy Contractors Ltd for defamation. The award was granted yesterday by High Court Master Marissa Robertson after her assessment of the damages to be awarded to the Sammys.
Alleyne has also been ordered to pay costs which are to be assessed.
Continue reading $630,000 ‘wetting’ for Ian Alleyne
By Raffique Shah
December 07, 2015
This recession did not creep up on us like the proverbial thief in the night.
It was long in the making. In fact, from as far back as the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, when Clico collapsed and the price of oil plunged from a brief high of US $140 a barrel to $30, informed, patriotic citizens were warning governments to go easy on the wild spending, to set aside more savings in the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund, to wean the population off dependency on subsidies, and most of all to diversify the economy from its over-reliance on oil, gas and petrochemicals.
Continue reading Recession was predictable
…Used Green and Unemployment Funds as collateral
By Richard Lord
December 05, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Finance Minister Colm Imbert says the former PP government raided the National Gas Company (NGC) of almost $14 billion in cash. He made the claim while presenting three motions for debate in the House of Representatives yesterday.
The motions seek to increase the ceiling for government borrowing by $50 billion under the Development Loans Act, External Loans Act and the Guarantee of Loans (Companies) Act.
Continue reading Imbert: PP raided NGC of $14b cash
By Derek Achong
December 01, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Three of the country’s most senior judges have failed to come to an agreement over whether the United National Congress (UNC) has conclusive proof that its defeat in September’s general election was due to a one-hour extension in voting, in order to secure a re-election.
Delivering its judgment in the appeal brought by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and the People’ National Movement (PNM) at the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, the appeal panel, led by Chief Justice Ivor Archie, was split two to one, as it ruled that the UNC had met the requirements required for preliminary approval of the petitions.
Continue reading Judges split on petitions appeal
By Raffique Shah
November 30, 2015
If “Santa Colm” assures the populace that their Christmas will be bright, not blue, then we have no reason to doubt the man.
After all, Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert is the substantive Minister of Finance, in which capacity he has access to data and information pertaining to the state of the economy, especially Government’s revenues and expenditures, that you and I will not see.
Continue reading Sending the wrong signals
By Renuka Singh
November 28, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Fresh internal conflict is threatening to break the United National Congress (UNC) apart in the build up to internal elections. With just days to go before the party elects its leader, the mostly clean campaign has suddenly turned nasty as one would-be deputy leader was threatened for taking sides against incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Continue reading UNC wracked by internal strife