‘Hello! This is Trinidad. We don’t take this sort of crime… or any crime really, too seriously’
By Alicia Chamely
MORE often than I would like to admit, I find myself thinking how I could quickly enrich myself if I was a sociopath, completely bereft of any moral or ethical code.
More and more, the answer to this is becoming clearer and clearer. Land fraud!
Land in T&T will always have value. Its value will always increase as it is limited. People will always want it and there will always be some sucker willing to pay inflated prices for some square footage.
Land is the new gold.
Judging by the recent revelations by former minister of agriculture Clarence Rambharat, land fraud appeares super easy to do.
According to Rambharat, he was recently lobbied to approve a fake deed and has generated over 50 files detailing land fraud, some of which involved a retired senior public servant who is accused of colluding with others to grant his relatives seven lots of land worth $5 million.
Now one might think, “Alicia, if the minister, well former minister, caught on to this, isn’t it risky?”
To this question, I answer, “Hello! This is Trinidad. We don’t take this sort of crime… or any crime really, too seriously.”
In fact, Rambharat himself admitted employees in the ministry knew for years of this corruption, said nothing and did nothing.
He said he had to be the one to investigate and compile evidence because there is a lack of interest in dealing with fraud.
So I mean, easy business, easy money.
But Alicia, Rambharat made reports to the police, won’t they be focusing their attention on it, won’t they cracking down on land fraud, making resources available to tackle this issue?
Puh-lease!
When Acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob was questioned in regards to Rambharat’s claims, he admitted the police have “challenges with resources” to crack down on land fraud and ensure all perpetrators are bought before the court.
Jacob, who let’s be honest, knows Rambharat’s claims will sit in a police station for years, tried to appease any member of the public that really care, by saying he had written to the Ministry of National Security to assist them in carrying out their investigations.
We all know that’s going nowhere fast.
The thing is both Rambharat and Jacob hit the nail on the head as to why this form of fraud is so prevalent.
Rambharat’s admission that ministry employees were not reporting cases of land fraud speaks volumes. No one has faith these matters will be resolved.
He also laid some truth, which is that many of us are more than happy to reap the benefits of corruption.
Jacob, straight-up admitted the land registry, like many things in T&T, isn’t digitalised. Just paper and pen, easy to change, easy to meddle with.
Rambharat indicated that there is a vault containing all the deeds for Government land, deeds which are again not digitalised.
It is bewildering to me that so many of our Government services are not digitalised… licensing office I’m looking at you. Our authorities know that this is one of the main causes behind the ease of corruption, but as always they choose to drag their feet to solve this problem.
Why? The answer is simple, they don’t want to get the unions angry (because let’s be honest, unions will fight the oxygen they breathe if you give them a chance) and they don’t want to get their supporters, who dip into the corruption cookie jar, angry.
The entire system, despite taking baby steps, has put no urgency in rectifying the issues that aid corruption.
I don’t blame Rambharat for resigning. Yes, he said he is leaving because he is struggling to balance his work and family life. But we all know deep down that man is just fed up of trying to fix serious problems and getting zero support.
Anyway, if y’all catch me cruising around in a brand new Range Rover with 22-inch chrome spinners, you know what I’ve been doing and you better keep your mouth shut… or talk, doesn’t matter, with things the way they are I’ll never see a courtroom.
(Not) Paying for Crime in T&T
‘Hello! This is Trinidad. We don’t take this sort of crime… or any crime really, too seriously’
MORE often than I would like to admit, I find myself thinking how I could quickly enrich myself if I was a sociopath, completely bereft of any moral or ethical code.
More and more, the answer to this is becoming clearer and clearer. Land fraud!
Land in T&T will always have value. Its value will always increase as it is limited. People will always want it and there will always be some sucker willing to pay inflated prices for some square footage.
Land is the new gold.
Judging by the recent revelations by former minister of agriculture Clarence Rambharat, land fraud appeares super easy to do.
According to Rambharat, he was recently lobbied to approve a fake deed and has generated over 50 files detailing land fraud, some of which involved a retired senior public servant who is accused of colluding with others to grant his relatives seven lots of land worth $5 million.
Now one might think, “Alicia, if the minister, well former minister, caught on to this, isn’t it risky?”
To this question, I answer, “Hello! This is Trinidad. We don’t take this sort of crime… or any crime really, too seriously.”
In fact, Rambharat himself admitted employees in the ministry knew for years of this corruption, said nothing and did nothing.
He said he had to be the one to investigate and compile evidence because there is a lack of interest in dealing with fraud.
So I mean, easy business, easy money.
But Alicia, Rambharat made reports to the police, won’t they be focusing their attention on it, won’t they cracking down on land fraud, making resources available to tackle this issue?
Puh-lease!
When Acting Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob was questioned in regards to Rambharat’s claims, he admitted the police have “challenges with resources” to crack down on land fraud and ensure all perpetrators are bought before the court.
Jacob, who let’s be honest, knows Rambharat’s claims will sit in a police station for years, tried to appease any member of the public that really care, by saying he had written to the Ministry of National Security to assist them in carrying out their investigations.
We all know that’s going nowhere fast.
The thing is both Rambharat and Jacob hit the nail on the head as to why this form of fraud is so prevalent.
Rambharat’s admission that ministry employees were not reporting cases of land fraud speaks volumes. No one has faith these matters will be resolved.
He also laid some truth, which is that many of us are more than happy to reap the benefits of corruption.
Jacob, straight-up admitted the land registry, like many things in T&T, isn’t digitalised. Just paper and pen, easy to change, easy to meddle with.
Rambharat indicated that there is a vault containing all the deeds for Government land, deeds which are again not digitalised.
It is bewildering to me that so many of our Government services are not digitalised… licensing office I’m looking at you. Our authorities know that this is one of the main causes behind the ease of corruption, but as always they choose to drag their feet to solve this problem.
Why? The answer is simple, they don’t want to get the unions angry (because let’s be honest, unions will fight the oxygen they breathe if you give them a chance) and they don’t want to get their supporters, who dip into the corruption cookie jar, angry.
The entire system, despite taking baby steps, has put no urgency in rectifying the issues that aid corruption.
I don’t blame Rambharat for resigning. Yes, he said he is leaving because he is struggling to balance his work and family life. But we all know deep down that man is just fed up of trying to fix serious problems and getting zero support.
Anyway, if y’all catch me cruising around in a brand new Range Rover with 22-inch chrome spinners, you know what I’ve been doing and you better keep your mouth shut… or talk, doesn’t matter, with things the way they are I’ll never see a courtroom.