AG Ramlogan says waste of funds for piano may warrant civil action

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan told the Trinidad Express Sunday he has no reason to apologise for the the controversy surrounding the grand piano which he said was missing from the Diplomatic Centre.

The piano was located on the compound the day after former Prime Minister Patrick Manning told reporters he left it there when he vacated the official residence following his defeat in the 2010 general election

In an official media release Ramlogan thanked Manning for the information but went on to slam the former head of government for spending taxpayers' money to buy 10 pianos without the following the proper process.

In an interview with the Express at the Rienzi Complex, Couva, Sunday the AG said he intends to examine the matter to determine whether civil action can be taken against the persons who bought the pianos for US$850,677.

An interim report on the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) has stated that 10 pianos were purchased from Bosendorfer, Las Vegas, USA, by UTT head Ken Julien, one of which was delivered to the Diplomatic Centre.

Three of the pianos were assigned to the National Academy for the Performing Arts, while the others were distributed to other UTT campuses across the country.
Ramlogan has faced criticism for his outburst about the piano which was in the diplomatic centre when he reported it missing. However he has insisted the real issue is the abuse of public funds.

"Close to US$1 million was spent to purchase pianos without any consultation or disclosure. I'm embarrassed because that ought not to have happened in a functioning democratic society... that happens in a dictatorship, when that kind of money is spent without anyone being aware of it," said Ramlogan.

"Prior to my disclosure in the Parliament, not a single citizen in this country knew that Mr Manning and Mr Julien spent millions to purchase pianos. I ask the question, is it that UTT could have been used to purchase his (Manning) private jet and nobody would have known?" he asked.

"We intend to take civil and/or criminal action when the investigations are fully completed. The discovery of these pianos is a direct result of the probes that are being conducted. In so far as there was malfeasance, misconduct, we intend to take civil action against those responsible for betraying the people and breaking their fiduciary duties to the organisation they served," said Ramlogan.

"The purchase of these grand pianos by UTT and, in particular, one for the Prime Minister's residence, is a matter that may very well warrant a civil action. We are still trying to unearth the facts to see where the paper trail leads and who gave the instructions for the pianos to be purchased," Ramlogan told the Express.