Our Truant Prime Minister
Monday, September 18, 2023
Old Friends
Monday, April 3, 2023
Manufacturing Dictators
Monday, March 6, 2023
One Thousand Patriots
Monday, February 6, 2023
Thanks, USA - for nothing
Monday, January 30, 2023
Talk Done
Monday, January 23, 2023
A healthy, happy Christmas
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
A Flood of 'Dotish' Talk
Monday, December 5, 2022
A Radical Thought on Crime
Monday, November 21, 2022
Ten thousand-gun salute
Monday, August 22, 2022
Anti-colonial Father of the Nation
Friday, June 24, 2022
Benefits, not increases
Monday, June 20, 2022
T&T's Political Culture Affects COVID-19 Response
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Black lies matter most
Monday, July 5, 2021
Memo 02 to Team Recovery: Freeze motor imports
Monday, May 4, 2020
Hooked on foreign foods
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
After crisis food rationing?
Monday, April 6, 2020
My Spiritual Inheritance
Monday, April 6, 2020
Best of times, worst of times
Sunday, March 29, 2020
CLR James: man without honour in his own country
Friday, August 2, 2019
|
|
|
Former NWRHA managers face charges
Posted: Tuesday, November 6, 2001
By Nalinee Seelal Newsday
The Police Fraud Squad has recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions (NWRHA) that four former senior managers of the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) be charged with misbehaviour in public office and misappropriation of funds.
The managers involved are Ramesh Sharma, former CEO; Dr Ranjit Sookdar, Cost and Budget Analyst; Reynold Makhan, Property Manager and Gulabchand Maharaj, senior vice-president Finance.
Police investigators probing allegations of mismanagement of $1.6 million at the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA), have submitted their recommendations to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
DPP Mark Mohammed told Newsday yesterday, "Yes I have received the file from the police."
He added that he could not give a time frame when he will give directions in the matter. The offences are Common Law offences, and sources told Newsday that other charges may be laid against other officials.
The police report was sent to ACP (Crime), Cecil Carrington on Friday, and the file was sent to DPP Mohammed over the weekend.
The police team led by Snr Supt Wellington Virgil and including Supt Fredericks and ASPs Woodley, and Phillip took two months to complete the investigations during which more than 30 people were interviewed.
Snr Supt Virgil told Newsday yesterday that the police received full cooperation during the probe.
He added that the NWRHA investigation was on-going with other enquiries.
On September 14 last, the new Board of Directors of the NWRHA met and terminated the contracts of the four senior managers who were suspended in May.
The recommendation to dismiss the four was made by Personnel Management Services Limited in a 31- page Report into Matters Raised in the Auditor General's Report in the NWRHA.
PMSL dealt with contract employment of senior officials in NWRHA and award of commercial contracts by NWRHA.
The four senior managers had their contracts terminated for what was described as "serious misconduct."
The PMSL report also recommended that the Auditor General's report be pursued in relation to other NWRHA workers against whom a prima facie basis for further inquiry be established.
According to the report, Dr Tim Gopeesingh, who was appointed a Government Senator by Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, was chairman of the NWRHA when the sum of $1.6 million was deposited into the accounts of the managers.
When the issue became public Dr Gopeesingh dealt with the matter personally and the money was redeposited into the NWRHA account. The NWRHA board at the time was unaware of what had transpired.
| # 1 |
| Name: Editor ip: Hidden
|
| Date: Saturday, November 10, 2001 |
| Comment: |
TWO former managers of the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate yesterday charged with stealing more than $1.6 million from the coffers of the State organisation.
Dr Ranjit Sookdar, former budget analyst, and Reynold Makhan, property manager, were each placed on $500,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls after the charge of "stealing $1,635,840 from the NWRHA on a date unknown between December 14 and December 19 last year" was read to them.
Makhan walked out of the court after relatives stood his bail but Sookdar seemed destined to spend last night behind bars after he was shuttled off in an Amalgamated prison van.
Police sources said Fraud Squad detectives are also looking for former chief executive officer Ramesh Sharma, who is said to be out of the country.
Sharma, Makhan and Sookdar were named in reports on improprieties at the NWRHA by the Auditor General and Personnel Management Services Ltd (PMSL), a private consultancy firm hired by Finance Minister Gerald Yetming to investigate allegations of irregularities at the authority.
|
|
|
Two Thousand Seasons (African Writers Series)
by Ayi Kwei Armah
The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller
Lords of Poverty: The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business by Graham Hancock
|