40 corruption charges read out—

By Khrystal Rawlins www.newsday.co.tt

Yesterday was a day of high drama in the Magistrates' Court of Trinidad and Tobago as eight top officials including a former UNC Cabinet minister and two former chairmen of the Airports Authority appeared before two magistrates on a total of 40 charges of corruption arising out of the construction of the new Piarco Airport. Appearing on the charges were former Finance Minister under the UNC administration Brian Kuei Tung, his companion Renee Pierre, former chairmen of the Airport's Authority Tyrone Gopee and Ameer Edoo, former chairman of the NIPDEC Edward Bayley, CEO of Northern Construction Ltd Ishwar Galbaransingh, former chairman of Maritime Group of Companies Steve Ferguson, and managing director of Northern Construction Ltd Amrith Maharaj. The eight persons were granted a total of $11.5 million in bail.

Kuei Tung was also charged with five counts of corruptly receiving a total of TT$327,000 and US$498,000 as "gifts" from various companies contracted to conduct work on the Piarco Airport terminal. The offences allegedly occurred between October 1998 and August 2002.

Kuei Tung, Pierre, Gopee, Edoo and Bayley appeared before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet at the Port-of-Spain First Magistrates' Court yesterday morning charged with a total of 11 counts of corruption. Galbaransingh, Maharaj and Ferguson appeared before Magistrate Avason Quinlan yesterday afternoon at the City's Four C Court charged with a total of 24 counts of corruption. The drama began on Monday evening when Kuei Tung, Pierre, Edoo and Gopee were held at the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau and, in the early hours of yesterday morning, Justice Prakash Moosai granted "conditional bail" in the sum of $1 million each to the four.

However, the magistrate fixed Bayley's bail in the sum of $2 million. Bayley, who was held early yesterday morning at Piarco International Airport, was unable to secure bail, and was remanded into custody when he appeared before Espinet yesterday morning. He was the only one handcuffed and ordered by the magistrate to report twice weekly to the Four Roads Police Station. He was also ordered to surrender all travel documents to the court. When he appeared before Espinet yesterday, the prosecution objected to the bail, describing Bayley as a "flight risk" because he was a permanent resident of Costa Rica which has no extradition treaty with Trinidad and Tobago. He faces 11 fraud charges. When Kuei Tung, Pierre, Gopee and Edoo entered the courtroom via the public entrance, Espinet, not knowing that they had been granted "conditional bail," questioned why they did not enter through the door normally used by prisoners. Gillian Lucky, attorney for Ameer Edoo, explained that bail had been granted on instruction of the DPP.

Maharaj and Galbaransingh were each granted bail in the sum of $2 million while Ferguson was granted bail in the sum of $1.5 million. The three had earlier surrendered to the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau on Richmond Street in Port-of-Spain. Kuei Tung and Pierre are both represented by attorneys Ian Brooks, Allan Alexander SC and Reggie Amour SC. Ameer Edoo was represented by Attorney Russell Martineau SC instructed by attorney Gillian Lucky. Attorneys Stuart Young and Christopher Hamel Smith SC represented Bayley, while Gopee was represented by attorney Nyree Alfonso Towfeek. Representing the State are Deputy DPP Carla Brown Antoine and Peterson.

The eight will reappear in court tomorrow. Work on the Piarco International Airport started in 1997 and has been the subject of two inquiries, one conducted by Justice Lennox Deyalsingh and the second by former Chief Justice Clinton Bernard, which lasted several months. The charges stemmed from the findings of the Clinton Inquiry. Investigations were conducted by Canadian forensic accountant, Bob Lindquist and began under former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and were accelerated under the PNM administration from 2002.

Ex-Minister faces charges

Another former minister is expected to be charged this morning in connection with the airport investigations. The former minister is expected to turn himself in to officials at the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Sources stated that over the past two days, officials found it difficult to arrest the former minister because of extenuating circumstances. One of the privileges of a Parliamentarian which is entrenched in law is that he/she cannot be arrested for a civil offence while going to or attending a sitting of Parliament.

Eight persons have been arrested so far and over the next few days, several more are to be picked up. Sources said many persons were not staying at their homes in an effort to avoid the police officers who are seeking to make arrests. These persons preferred to surrender in the company of their attorneys, rather than have officials arrest them with handcuffs in the full view of their relatives and neighbours.

What it all comes down to...

After months of rumours and speculation that criminal charges will be filed against several top officials following the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the $1.6B Piarco Airports Project, several charges were laid yesterday.
Some of the charges relate to:
* Falsely pretending to have created designs for the Terminal Development project.
* Making payments totalling US$377,000 to an overseas paper company without employees.
* Making payments totalling $77,480 to a retail store for the purchase of air conditions for the personal residential use of Brian Kuei Tung, his girlfriend Renee Pierre, and his wife Ellen Kuei Tung.
* Nine payments totalling $2.5 million to repay a debt owed to Diversified Communication Ltd by United National Congress for transportation and local government election advertising.
* The movement of money from one account to another for the payment of cheques issued for Visa card.
* Seven payments totalling US$2.1 million to a Bahamas company owned by Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh with US$335,000 disbursed to a Florida attorney handling two real estate transactions involving Kuei Tung, Ferguson and Galbaransingh.
* Purchasing three acres of undeveloped land totalling over $5 million.
* Payment for a delay claim as a result of suspension of work amounting to US$3,341,468.
* Using the Airports Authority funds without any reason or justification through secret offshore banking accounts for the direct or indirect benefit of Steve Ferguson.
* Making payments on bonds which were not bonafide performance bonds.