Handyman becomes multi-millionaire master builder at HCU, earned more than $70M;

Gordon James (arms folded) with his lawyer, former PNM minister Peter  Taylor

A handyman earning minimum wages became a multi-millionaire businessman through a meeting with Harry Harnarine, the former head of the Hindu Credit Union.

The man is Gordon James. The HCU paid his company more than $70 million to complete seven "major building projects" for the HCU.

The rags to riches story was unveiled Wednesday at the enquiry into the collapse of the Chaguanas-based credit union.

James told the enquiry that between 2001 and 2006 the HCU deposited $17.8 million into his personal account and in 2004, the year after that company was incorporated, he earned $27.9 million from the company. James told the probe the HCU still owes him over $3.5 million.

He appeared at the inquiry with attorney Peter Taylor, the former legal affairs minister in the People's National Movement.

James said his first job was as a handyman at the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) when Harnarine was the NUGFW's Industrial Relations Officer in charge of the Southern Division at the time.

He said when Harnarine became president of the HCU's president he hired James as a "marketing officer" to help build the credit union's membership.

He said in 2002, he formed a company named 2002 Janitorial Services Limited and the HCU contracted his company to clean and do maintenance work to their branches and subsidiaries.

In 2003, he formed a second company - Gordon James Construction and Home Repairs Company Ltd - with his brother, Dexter Davis and Kalam Shah Karamath. In August that year they company won an $18 million contract from the HCU.

James gave a breakdown of money paid to his company by the HCU. He said between June 1, 2003 and May 9, 2005 Gordon James Construction was paid:

• $5.6 million for work at HCU's Jovi Water Park
• $5.8 million for work at Shakti Foods
• $18.69 million for work at the Food Corporation
• $17.79 million for work at the Printing Press
• $17.5 million for work at the Freeport Multipurpose Centre
• $5.8 million for work at Orange Field

James also said he faced difficulties at the HCU because people were wondering if Harnarine was trying to "douglarise" the credit union.

Harnarine's lawyer, Farid Scoon, told the enquiry people disliked James because he was a "black man" from the "ghetto" who had succeeded.

"You were like the head black man and people were surprised that you were a black man controlling all that money. $70 million a black man? A black man eat ah food," Scoon said.

Scoon read a document, which he said was taken from the Commissioner of Co-operative Development bundle, called "Indian time come". The lawyer referred to a section of the report in which it was claimed that "the unspoken policy in the HCU is to make money off of stupid n***ers".

Scoon said it was racism that caused the financial run on the HCU and its eventual collapse.