By Prior Beharry
OROPOUCHE MP Dr Roodal Moonilal is questioning how Minister of Energy Stuart Young obtained a document alleged to be a fake wire transfer from Patriotic Energy when it was supposed to be under review by an independent evaluation committee for the purchase of the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
Speaking on Tuesday during his contribution to the budget debate, Dr Moonilal said, “How it works, Madam Speaker, is when you send your documents to the evaluation committee, if they believe something is amiss, they have a duty to address it with the authorities. Politicians don’t get involved in that.
“But, Madam Speaker, that is a question they will answer.”
Dr Moonilal also referred to a press release issued by Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited.
According to TPHL, the document was “specifically identified as evidence of a wire transfer of US$1.5 billion into a local bank, with Patriotic Energies and Technology Company Limited as the beneficiary.
“Information to hand suggests that there was no such transfer. Accordingly, the said document has been referred to the company’s legal advisors and the relevant authorities for advice, including whether any offence has been committed, and thereafter, to take whatever further action may be warranted.”
In his budget presentation to Parliament last week, Finance Minister Colm Imbert stated that three companies had been shortlisted regarding their proposals for either the sale or lease of the refinery. Patriotic was not one of them.
Dr. Moonilal said, “The Minister of Energy came to the House and made what he thought was a bombshell announcement that a fake document was tendered during the process, and it was a wire transfer of some kind. And it was fake.”
“I took note of a matter today… Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited issued a media release stating they received a document submitted by Patriotic Energy in furtherance of its non-binding offer for the Guaracara refinery, claiming a transfer of 1.5 billion United States dollars.
“Information to hand suggests that there was no such transfer. Accordingly, the document has been referred to legal advisors for relevant advice.”
Dr Moonilal asked, “I want to know how Trinidad Petroleum got hold of wire transfer documents meant to be under the purview of an independent evaluation committee chaired by Vishnu Dhanpaul.”
He noted that neither Young nor TPHL were members of the committee.
Dr. Moonilal said, “In fact, I’m not even seeing the minister’s name as part of the evaluation committee. How did the minister get wind of a wire transfer involving an impartial and independent evaluation committee?
“The minister has to tell us how this happened. Did you enter the evaluation committee room by accident? Were you in Whitehall and entered the wrong room where they were reviewing documents submitted by Patriotic? How did this happen? And how did Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited get a copy of these confidential documents meant for Scotia International and the evaluation committee?”
In his contribution after Dr Roodal Moonilal, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said that the refinery was under the purview of TPHL.
The minister may have gotten the information in his mailbox……