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By
Gail Alexander
The State has already begun extradition proceedings for US
citizens Ronald Birk, Eduardo Hillman and Raoul Gutierrez,
in connection with the Piarco Airport development project
fraud case, according to a top-level source.
T&T law enforcement authorities also expect full co-operation
from their US counterparts in the planned extradition on the
accused.
Earlier this week, 17 people and three companies were charged
with fraud, arising out of the $1.6 billion construction contract.
The nine who have so far appeared in court include former
UNC ministers, party financiers and one-time inner sanctum
officials of the former UNC government.
At issue is an estimated $144 to $148 million allegedly fraudulently
obtained by those charged.
The source confirmed that more charges were likely to be laid,
including some against US citizens Birk, Hillman and Gutierrez,
who were affiliated to foreign companies involved in the project.
(See box below)
Birk and Hillman are alleged to be the recipients and beneficiaries
of payments in four instances. These payments involve a total
of $28,768,525.13.
Gutierrez is also alleged to have been the beneficiary of
payments totalling $43 million, $536 million and $455.15 million
in three instances.
The three instances also involved Ishwar Galbaransingh and
Steve Ferguson.
All three payments were made to bank accounts and services
in Nassau, Bahamas.
Warrants will have to be issued locally, after which a voluminous
statement of case will be forwarded to the US authorities.
Warrants will have to be issued for the trip in the US.
The source said: “The process is already in train, and
the first steps have been taken.
“A
request to the US authorities for the extradition of the three
men has been made and we are sending the statement of case
as soon as possible.
“We
expect full co-operation from the US side, since the Attorney
General’s division has been working closely with the
Justice Department in the US and giving them full co-operation
in certain recent matters.”
A legal source said, however, if the three US citizens had
fled to another country with which T&T didn’t have
an extradition treaty, nothing could be done to bring them
here.
The spokesman noted that T&T had assisted fully in the
extradition of one-time businessman Farouk Warris and Jamaat
member Olive Enyahooma-El, recently, after requests from the
US.
Yesterday, officials of the Attorney General’s department
had no comment on the situation.
20
corrupt payments allegedly made
New
airport case adjourned to June 3
By
Denyse Renne
Two former government ministers, businessmen and top UNC financiers
reappeared in Port-of-Spain First Magistrate’s Court
yesterday, before Magistrate Ejenny Espinet.
The accused, former ministers Brian Kuei Tung and Sadiq Baksh,
former Airports Authority chairmen Tyrone Gopee and Ameer
Edoo, former Nipdec chairman Edward Bayley, Ishwar Galbaransingh
and Amrith Maharaj, chairman and CEO of Northern Construction,
respectively, Maritime executive Steve Ferguson and businesswoman
Renee Pierre are charged with corruption involving $1.6 billion,
arising out of the Piarco Airport development project.
Senior Counsel Pamela Elder joined the defence team, while
the prosecution was led by Carla Brown-Antoine and Gilbert
Peterson, SC.
Peterson told Espinet he wanted the matter adjourned to next
week, because of the complexity of the charges.
However, one of Baksh’s attorneys, Chaitram Sinanan,
told Espinet the defence had not received disclosure of documents,
and it was oppressive to five of the clients, since they had
another matter in another court.
Attorney gillian Lucky, who is representing Edoo, agreed with
Sinanan, saying there was no magic in choosing an adjournment
date and advising Espinet “to bear in mind that some
clients had other matters.”
Elder added her voice, saying although this was the first
time she was before the court in the matter, she would not
be ready by next Thursday.
Espinet eventually adjourned the matter to June 3.
High-powered
defence team
•
Senior Counsel Reginald Armour, Allan Alexander and Ian Brooks
(Brian Kuei Tung and Renee Pierre)
•
Stewart Young, Christopher Hamel-Smith, SC, and Pamela Elder,
SC (Edward Bayley)
•
Russell Martineau, SC, and Gillian Lucky (Ameer Edoo)
•
Nyree Alfonso-Towfeek (Tyrone Gopee)
•
Sophia Chote and Rajiv Persad (Ishwar Galbaransingh)
•
Veena Badrie-Maharaj and Varun Badrie-Maharaj (Amrith Maharaj);
•Rajiv
Persad and Gillian Lucky (Steve Ferguson)
•Chaitram
Sinanan, Prakash Ramadhar, Kevin Rattiram and Imran Khan,
SC (Sadiq Baksh)
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