PNM deputy leader Marlene McDonald’s name has figured in a Lake Asphalt of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) audit report concerning a review of contracts and conflicts of interest in that company, where a senior LATT official allegedly told a company in 2007 to make a contribution to a foundation McDonald had in order to get more LATT jobs.
The information is contained in a 16-page LATT internal audit report of May 2011 concerning alleged issues under the tenure of former LATT CEO, Wayne Wood, no longer with LATT. Prior Beharry, strategic communications consultant to Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine, said yesterday the minister had received the report and forwarded it to the Attorney General for appropriate action.
The audit noted there had been concerns regarding due process in relation to procurement of contracts, payment of contracts and possible conflict of interest between Wood and Tramway Marketing Ltd. Tramway was described in the report as a limited liability company, incorporated July 6, 1999.
Directors were Alvin Phillips and Althea Phillips with McDonald as the secretary at the date of incorporation. This was changed to Althea Phillips on October 6, 1999. The report contained copies of companies registrar documents confirming that.
The report noted that during Wood’s tenure approximately 54 contractors were engaged, at a cost of $19 million, and the review found evidence of conflict of interest and inappropriate reporting relationship between the then CEO and the director of Tramway Marketing.
It also noted senior officials knowingly overrode controls, irregularities and non-compliance with the tender policy and procedure, inefficiencies in the payment process and failure on procurement systems. The report, which detailed all of what was found, stated the audit discovered that it was not the first time conflict of interest was alleged between Wood and Tramway.
It was noted that since the appointment of Wood as CEO, Tramway was paid $1.3 million for contracts, including grass-cutting, ground maintenance, landscaping, janitorial contracting and inventory management. The report cited interviews including with one Curlan Worrell. He said he had been self employed “doing odd jobs here-and-there and at one time was awarded contracts with LATT, including general maintenance.”
He said the contracts were awarded under MIE Engineering Co Ltd (MIEECL) where he was operations manager. MIEECL was a pre-qualified contractor with LATT.
Worrell is quoted as saying during 2007 he and the owner of MIEECL were approached by Wood and told that MIEECL could be given more jobs at LATT and Palo Seco Agricultural Enterprises Ltd (where Wood was also a director at the time) but “MIEECL would have to make a contribution to two foundations, one belonging to Peter Taylor and the other belonging to Marlene McDonald.”
Worrell’s statement alleged the cheques were to be made out to two foundations, “one being Peter Taylor and the other Marlene McDonald for $25,000-$35,000. I did so and gave the cheques to Mr Wood,” he added. The report stated MIEECL indeed received a contract from PSAEL and MIEECL made the payment and gave the cheques to Wood.
The report also stated Worrell also claimed Alston Grant, who was affiliated with MA Trading Ltd, was also associated with Conrad Enill, (described in the report as Energy Minister) and asked Worrell to manage some contracts that would be awarded to LATT. Worrell said he was informed Enill instructed Wood to award contracts to MA Trading. It was also noted MA Trading received LATT contracts.
MORE INFO
McDonald didn’t answer calls yesterday. Taylor, who was PNM Princes Town MP, said he never had a foundation. “Nah, I wasn’t in anything like that. We only had a constituency group. I never asked anyone for any contributions,” he said Enill said: “I never instructed anybody to give any contracts but in politics, people use your name all the time.
“I can’t tell you how many times people would come to me and say ‘Mr Manning told me to tell you X and Y’. I would call him about it and he would say ‘But I see you all the time, so I would have told you if I had done that’ “That’s why I prefer to give written instructions and specifics. Third party instructions are not instructions as far as I’m concerned. I don’t go through third parties,” Enill said.