Police Still Investigating Fake Oil Allegation

By Sue-Ann Wayow

A&V Oil and Gas Ltd has won between itself and the now-defunct State-owned energy company Petrotrin, but the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) is still conducting investigations.

On Monday at a TTPS press conference, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said, “That situation between Petrotrin and A&V has nothing to do with the police investigations. So the decision made in the arbitration has nothing to do with our investigation. That investigation is still ongoing.”

It was reported that A&V may will benefit  from approximately a $1 billion payment.

In the unanimous decision,  three arbiters Sir Dennis Byron, former president of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), who also served as chairman of the arbitration panel, Lord David Hope and retired CCJ judge Humphrey Stollmeyer held that Petrotrin failed to establish A&V engaged in seal tampering or any inappropriate practices in the process of delivering crude oil and was entitled to payment.

They also held that Petrotrin did not have reasonable grounds for suspecting that A&V misconducted itself and was entitled to compensation for the wrongful termination of the agreement, the newspaper reported.

Petrotrin’s counter-claim was also dismissed.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had claimed A&V Oil & Gas Ltd,  defrauded  Petrotrin of some $80 million and the company had sought an apology and compensation for defamation.

Persad-Bissessar’s had accused A&V Oil of supplying fake oil to Petrotrin. Lease operator owner Nazim Baksh is a   good friend of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

And attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said Persad-Bissessar had a lot to answer to given the outcome of the case.