BID RIGGERS TO PAY

Trinidad’s government has announced plans to collect more than $130 million awarded the nation this week by a Miami court relating to a decades long corruption scandal linked to the construction of the new Piarco International Airport and the underhand dealings of a slew of local and American businessmen.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Reemberto Diaz made what he termed a final judgement against the defendants in the case that had accused the group of bid rigging, inflating construction costs at the expense of taxpayers, paying bribes to public officials to ensure they had won the project, wire, mail fraud and money laundering among other complaints.

The case had been dragging on for nearly two decades and is regarded as the longest and most expensive major trial in local history. The airport, long completed and the home base to Caribbean Airlines, is nevertheless, regarded as one of the best in the Caribbean despite all the hiccups associated with the scandal, cost overruns and criminal charges against its main players.

Several of the Americans involved in the case have long pleaded guilty, served reduced prison times after cutting deals with federal authorities as whistleblowers, while some of the more influential Trinidadian businessmen fought extradition to the US to avoid facing trials.

Former attorney general, turned Local Government Minister Faris Al Rawi who played a key role for the state in the case, Monday made it clear government will do all in its power to enforce the Florida court judgement and levy on the assets of those involved as the nearly TT$1 billion judgement can be used as revenues for major infrastructural works.

And if the defendants in the case are smart, they had better begin the process of paying the money to the state as interest on the total amounts to nearly US$ 9 million annually. Therefore, any further delay in the case or by way of non-payment would result in interest accruing.

The big-name locals involved in the case include former finance minister Brian Kuei Tung, businessman Steve Ferguson and Ish Galbaransingh, a principal in one of the country’s leading construction firms.

Al Rawi told reporters that if the defendants dare to appeal they will have to furnish a bond for the full amount of just over US$130 million as well as nearly $18 million in interest payments.

“The state is entitled to pursue the recovery of the judgement while an appeal is going on, unless it is stopped from doing that. We are on track where we are pursuing the recovery of the judgement as of today,” he said. “After 19 years of litigation, there is final judgment. Congratulations to the people of T&T.”

The scandal associated with the project construction had severely undermined the administration of then Prime Minister Basdeo Panday who was himself charged with accepting a bribe from people associated with the project. The state prosecutor’s office earlier this year discontinued the case against Panday and his wife, Oma, saying that the chances of a successful conviction after all these years were low.

Al Rawi says the state expects that the defendants will soon declare their assets so they can be traced as the process to enforce the judgement gets fully underway. The state has also dropped charges against Galbaransingh and former Panday era minister Carlos John.