State trying to recover millions from Calder Hart: Report

A report in the Guardian newspaper on Sunday states that civil proceedings will begin shortly against the former executive chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (UDeCOTT) in relation to the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.

The paper says the State is expected to file the claiming against Calder Hart this week in the Port-of-Spain High Court, aimed at recovering approximately $400 million incurred on cost overruns.

The Guardian said its legal sources have said that other civil proceedings are expected to follow in relation to other UDeCOTT projects.

Hart resigned abruptly on March 6, 2010 following a ruling by Justice Mira Dean-Armorer that allowed the Prof John Uff Report to be made public.

The Brian Lara stadium project is still incomplete after expenditure of more than a billion dollars.

The stadium, which was supposed to be ready for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, started with a budget of $272 million. The Uff Report condemned the breach of proper procedures at the academy.

Uff called for a police investigation into Hart and a full-scale probe into the awarding of a contract for $885 million by UDeCOTT to Malaysian-based CH Development Ltd, now Sunway Construction (Caribbean) Ltd, to build the academy.

The report also questioned UDeCOTT's award of a $368 million awarded to build the Ministry of Legal Affairs Tower.

The Guardian said despite all this, no criminal proceedings have been initiated against Hart and it quoted a lead detective in the matter as saying on Saturday, “Investigations into Hart are still ongoing. The matter is very sensitive at this stage.”

Hart was a very powerful and influential executive during the Manning PNM administration. 

Former Prime Minister Patrick Manning considered him beyond reproach, stated that Hart had not done anything wrong and even suggested once that Hart might be considered to head the country's Integrity Commission.

Hart held the posts of:

• Executive chairman of UDeCOTT
• Chairman, CEO and managing director of T&T Mortgage Finance Co Ltd
• Chairman of National Insurance Board, Director of Home Mortgage Bank
• Chairman of Nipdec

Former Finance minister Karen Tesheira is on record as saying that the government paid Hart $158,375 a month in salary and perks for his positions on the state boards.