No conflict in CAL renting offices in Nicholas Tower, says CAL chairman

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) rents office space in Nicholas Tower at a cost of about $80,000 a month. However, the airline's chairman George Nicholas III says there is no conflict of interest in that business arrangement.

The issue of conflict has arisen because Nicholas Towers is owned by the chairman's father, Issa Nicholas, who also owns the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port of Spain.

The Trinidad Express asked the younger Nicholas about the apparent conflict and the paper said it received an email from the CAL chairman saying, "It's part of my family's business I am not at all involved in."

CAL rents parts of two floors of the Nicholas Tower building. The Express said it understands that CAL pays close to $80,000 in rent is paid every month for the space, which was leased to CAL before Nicholas was appointed chairman of the airline.

Former chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute Reginald Dumas told the paper there could be the perception of a conflict of interest, although there is nothing illegal in the matter since the business arrangement existed prior to Nicholas taking over as chairman of CAL

"But there could be the perception that someone in the Government, in the Cabinet, has been favouring the Nicholas family. So there could be the perception that there could be a conflict of interest and, therefore, unethical," he said.