The reported purchase of a $26,000 chair for the Electricity Commission’s (T&TEC) boardroom has been referred to T&TEC’s internal audit division for investigation and a report is expected in about a week, Public Utilities Minister Nizam Baksh has said.
Commenting at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media conference on allegations in the Express on the chair, Baksh made it clear that T&TEC chairman Sushilla Ramkissoon-Mark never selected the chair, directed its purchase or requested or approved the chair. He said she had in fact instructed T&TEC management to return the chair immediately and get a refund when she found out about its cost.
T&TEC, in an advertisement, also took issue with information and a subsequent editorial based on that.
It said the chair was not purchased as a result of any management or executive abuse of power and the issue had been referred to its relevant personnel to report on the process followed in the purchase.
Baksh explained that sometime toward the end of 2013, a request was made by T&TEC management to replace a chair assigned to the boardroom table on the fourth floor of Stanley Potter Building, Mt Hope.
He said the maintenance section of Mt Hope was involved in the process and a chair was sent for demonstration. He added: “At no point was the issue of costs discussed with the chairman, since this was a management issue in keeping with T&TEC’s procurement policy on such items.
“In January 2014 the chair was not yet provided to the boardroom but information on the cost came to the chairman’s attention. “The chairman immediately objected to monies proposed to be spent on the chair and immediately brought her concern to the general manager’s attention that the chair be immediately returned and a refund obtained.”
He said the general manager sent an e-mail to the divisional head, Courtney Mark, that a full refund should be obtained.
He read the January 2014 e-mail from T&TEC general manager Kelvin Ramsook to Mark. That stated the chairman’s concerns over the cost of the chair for the boardroom, that she directed it be promptly returned and she indicated that management needed to be more cost conscious in purchasing items for T&TEC.
In the e-mail Ramsook also asked Mark to “please refuse to use the chair” and indicated the chairman would make do with the old existing chair and that the new one should be returned and a refund be obtained. Baksh said Mark’s reply to Ramsook’s e-mail stated it was “okay, as discussed...”
He said T&TEC’s general manager also called the divisional head on the matter.
He said unfortunately no form of action was taken by the maintenance section and T&TEC got legal correspondence, dated March 2014, and also received in April 2014 a letter from attorneys J D Sellier and Co giving T&TEC the option of paying for the chair or facing legal action .
Baksh said: “The commission had no choice but to make payments for the chair.
“At no time did the chairman select the chair in question or approve it or request or direct its purchase. T&TEC remains committed to the highest level of cost effectiveness in its operations,”
T&TEC stated the “chair” news article attempted to unfairly sully the reputation of its chairman and executive management.
PNM MP Colm Imbert and other PNM officials were unavailable yesterday to comment in the issue.