Calder Hart located, will appear in court in TT: AG Ramlogan

AG Anand Ramlogan: "Mr Hart has been located. I tracked him down..."

Attorney General Ramlogan told local media in Trinidad Monday he has tracked down the former Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) executive chairman Calder Hart and that Hart is due to appear in court at a date to be fixed.

File: Calder Hart

Ramlogan said Hart was served with civil proceedings in a lawsuit filed against him by the State about three weeks ago. 

The legal action stems from the report of the Uff Commission of Enquiry report, which recommended that police probe Hart for allegedly mis-spending billions of dollars in Udecott projects across the country. 

The report also said there should be a full-scale investigation into the award of an $85 million contract by Udecott to a Malaysian firm with alleged links to Hart’s wife. And it questioned Udecott’s award of a $368 million contract for the Ministry of Legal Affairs Tower. 

The AG said, "Mr Hart has been located. I tracked him down. I solicited the assistance of a particular agency that was able to assist in confirming his address and whereabouts. 

"That led to us serving him with the documents. He has been properly served with the legal proceeding and has filed an appearance in response to the claim.” 

Ramlogan said additional pre-action protocol letters have since been sent to Udecott’s former deputy chairman, Krishna Bahadoorsingh and former employees Leeandra Rampaul and Richard O’Brien.

A report in the Guardian newspaper Hart has approached Lloyd Barnet, QC, of Jamaica, to represent him. Hart has said he would fight the State’s claims and prove his innocence.