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Piarco Airport Inquiry - Day 66

Piarco Airport Inquiry - Day 66... Inquiry hears of big political interference

By Theron Boodan

The Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco Project heard yesterday that there was unusually strong political interference in the Piarco Airport Project.

This observation was made by Kenneth Crichlow, Project Manager of the National Insurance Property Development Co. (NIPDEC), who was overseeing the Project.

Crichlow also told the Commission that his authority was usurped by an inter-ministerial team lead by former Housing Minister John Humphrey.

Crichlow said that during a discussion with NIPDEC's General Margaret Thompson, they recognised that the degree of political interference in the project was strong and one to which they were not accustomed.

As project manager, Chrichlow was responsible for the overall supervision of the project. But after being invited to one meeting to negotiate assigning of contracts, Crichlow was sidelined and never invited again, in spite of an agreement that he had to be invited.

Chrichlow's conclusion was that there was a conspiracy between BHC and his bosses at NIPDEC not to invite him. Crichlow said at a Christmas function Humphrey had announced that he (Humphrey) was micro managing the project.

Questioned by Chairman of the Commission Clinton Bernard, Crichlow revealed that the effect of Humphrey's announcement influenced several areas of the project and that there was nothing he could have done.

Crichlow said he wanted Northern Construction Ltd's (NCL) contract to be cancelled because of the contractor's poor quality performance and inadequate supervision. But instead of termination, Minister Humphrey, at a Christmas function, toasted NCL as one of the best performing companies in the country and possibly in the Caribbean. Crichlow said he had serious difficulty in sharing that toast and did not raise his glass, because the contractor was not deserving of it.

When Crichlow protested about NCL, he was warned: "You want to be like a snowball in hell."

He understood that to mean, if he attempted to do what he wanted to do, he would not last long.

Crichlow was severely questioned by the Commission's attorney Justin Phelps, while Christopher Hamel-Smith represented NIPDEC.

Hearing continues today.

JEARLEAN JOHN MAD OVER BERNARD'S STATEMENTS

An irate, Jearlean John, former Transport Minister, has written to Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Justice Clinton Bernard, denying that the contract for the VIP lounge was given to a local contractor on her instruction.

John, was responding to statements made by Bernard at the hearing yesterday at which he made remarks to this effect.

"That is a heinous fabrication, manifestly designed to impute misconduct on my part," John said.

In a letter which repeatedly asked: "Where is the justice, Justice Bernard?", John said, she took Bernard to task for this "abhorrent injustice". The former Minister told Newsday that she was almost on the verge of "marching down to the Commission yesterday" when she heard Bernard's comments.

She said evidence had already been given to the Commission that it was her intervention which held to the scrapping of a Change Order and the institution of a tender for the VIP lounge. This led to the cost of the lounge being reduced from $20 million to $11 million, John said. She said she didn't know who won the tender until last week.

John who said she went "through hell for this project", asked: "Where is the justice...in the Commission's method of permitting innocent people's characters to be shredded by self-serving 'witnesses' who are not subject to cross examination as they are setting out their prepared and orchestrated scenarios?"

On the innuendo that she did favours for Pizza Boys, the organisation with which she is now employed, John said: "Others might have been gifted with clairvoyance, but I would have had no way of knowing that there was going to be an election tie, consequent upon which, the President of the Republic- who ordered your Inquiry- was to give the leadership of the Government to the then Leader of the Opposition, thereby accelerating my return to the private sector".

She also denied that the opening of the project on May 25th had anything to do with Basdeo Panday's birthday. She said because the Airport was handed over to the AATT on November 25, 1999, that triggered the warranties on several pieces of equipment worth millions of dollars.

She said it was in an effort not to have all these warranties run out that the airport opening was accelerated. Furthermore, she said BWIA had informed her that if the new airport was not opened by May 25, they couldn't move in until after September when their peak season ended. This, too was an influential factor in the airport being opened at the time it was, she said.

John, who said she was "frightened by the extravagance" (at the airport), stated: "When I went into that project, it was already a scandal. There was confusion up there...When I opened that airport nobody was talking to me...This man (Bernard) continues to drag my name through the mud. You know how aggrieved I feel! He (Bernard) has twisted things. Dis place ain't easy! I am sending him another letter tomorrow".

John also had several pieces of documentation to support her case that she was committed to upholding the principles of transparency and accountability, and the tendering procedures during her tenure as Transport Minister.

Trinidad and Tobago News

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