Caroni east MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh is demanding an immediate investigation into reports that a senior official at the Trinidad & Tobago government's Estate management Business Development Company (EMBD) allegedly asked a local contractor for a bribe.Gopeesingh told reporters at a news conference Saturday he has written to the authorities, including the Integrity Commission, asking for an immediate probe.
Gopeesingh accused Prime Minister Patrick Manning of failing to take action against the senior official. He also said several senior government ministers including Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Teshiera and Attorney General Brigid Annisette-George have failed to act on the allegations.
The MP produced documents, which he said he found in his mailbox, containing letters exchanged between Sunco Engineering Services Ltd to officials of EMBD as well as to Manning.
He said in 2006 The Government of Trinidad & Tobago awarded Sunco contracts valued at $29 million for drainage and road development works on two projects. He said the contractor received some of the money but is having great difficulty collecting additional payments. EMBD is still owing Sunco $8.5 million, he said.
Gopeesingh showed reporters a letter dated on July 31, 2008 from Sunco's managing director, Cobee Singh, to Manning seeking his assistance to get the outstanding and telling the prime minister that the projects have suffered because EMBD has not met its financial obligations to Sunco.
He said the latter included an allegation of bribery, which was also copied to several government ministers including the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Integrity Commission.
In the letter Singh wrote:
"We would like to report to you that a senior official from the EMBD made a financial demand in order to secure our payments. Accordingly, we have no alternative but to forward this matter to the Director of Public Prosecution for investigation."
The Sunday Express says it checked with sources close to Sunco who confirmed that the company has not received any official response to the the bribery allegations and it is still waiting to be paid the outstanding money.
According to Gopeesingh wrote a second time to Manning seeking his intervention to get the money. He said Manning advised that he would ask that junior finance minister Mariano Browne to look into the matter.
Gopeesingh told reporters that his letter to the Integrity Commission advised that the contractor is still waiting to be paid and has resorted to legal action against EMBD."Under the law, the Prime Minister is duty bound to commission an investigation into this allegation and indeed, in the past, has referred similar matters to the Integrity Commission," he stated.
Gopeesingh said in view of these developments he is officially requesting that the Commission investigate Manning, Nunez-Teshiera, Annisette-George, and Agriculture Minister Arnold Piggott "to specifically determine whether by their failure to act upon the complaint they have breached Section IV of the Integrity in Public Life Act of 2000 which outlines this duty of all public officials".
NO INTEGRITY COMMISSION
The Integrity Commission is currently dormant because President Max Richards is yet to appoint new commissioners to replace those who quit two months ago after a high court report lambasted the commission for its investigation of former cabinet minister Dr Keith Rowley.
The former Housing Minister was denied the opportunity to defend himself when he was brought before the Commission on allegations of corruption.
Gopeesingh and and his parliamentary colleague Sen. Wade Mark want to know why there is such a delay in making the appointments.
“The Leader of the Opposition has submitted names as were requested by the President for consideration for membership of the Integrity Commission so we have done our duty. We have submitted our names and the CVs of these people and quite a number of names were entailed, adequate to form the Commission,” Mark said.
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