|
BY
GEISHA KOWLESSAR
Businesswoman Renée Pierre will no longer face the
original conspiracy charges brought against her during the
preliminary inquiry into allegations of corruption arising
out of the Piarco Airport development project.
Instead, summonses will be served upon Pierre or her attorney
for her to answer fresh charges.
She was expected to be served late yesterday afternoon.
Lead prosecutor Timothy Cassel, QC, made the announcement
yesterday to Magistrate Ejenny Espinet at Port-of-Spain Eighth
Court.
He said as far as the State was concerned, Pierre’s case
in the preliminary inquiry would therefore be severed.
Cassel said new charges had already been laid against the
other accused.
Espinet then read the charges to the accused individually.
Pamela Elder, SC, attorney representing Raul Gutierrez, said
her client was fully aware of the charges, but regarding the
procedural aspect, he had not yet been served.
She said there was only one new charge against her client.
However, defence attorney Vernon de Lima, SC, representing
Maritime Life (Caribbean) Ltd, Maritime General Insurance
Co Ltd and Fidelity Finance and Leasing Co Ltd said his clients
were not prepared to have any company official attend court.
Espinet told de Lima his clients could not appear through
him in terms of actual procedures.
“Evidence
must be taken in the presence of the accused, who must be
given an opportunity for cross-examination,” she said.
Cassel told the court that when a company could not physically
appear, usually there was a representative, who was the lawyer.
He said de Lima was therefore wearing two hats, one being
the lawyer of the companies and the other being representative
of the companies.
“Where
is the legal authority on that?” Espinet asked.
“Within
your statements, therein lies the fallacy.
“He
(de Lima) is just the advocate. Apart from the legal representative
you must be duly authorised.
“I
would not be proceeding with respect to the companies unless
that is done.”
Cassel then requested that the charges be jointly heard, telling
the court money was moved from place to place with relation
to the building of the airport.
But Elder asked for an adjournment so the matter could be
discussed with other defence counsel.
The matter was then adjourned to June 10.
Fresh
charges against Steve Ferguson, Ishwar Galbaransingh, Amrith
Maharaj, Brian Kuei Tung, Sadiq Baksh, Ameer Edoo, Tyrone
Gopee, Peter Cateau, Edward Bayley, northern Construction
Ltd, Maritime life (Caribbean) Ltd, Maritime General Insurance
Co Ltd and Fidelity Finance and Leasing Co Ltd include:
•
Appointing the said Ishwar Galbaransingh as chairman of the
Tourism and Industrial Development Co Ltd, the said Ameer
Edoo as chairman of the said Airports Authority of T&T
and the said Edward Bayley as chairman of the National Insurance
Property Development Co Ltd.
•
Manipulating the tendering process by the use of a fast-track
system and the undue influence of the said Ishwar Galbaransingh,
Brian Kuei Tung, Sadiq Baksh and Ameer Edoo so that the grant
of the said contracts to the said Birk Hillman Consultants
Inc, NYC and Calmaquip Engineering Corporation was predetermined.
•
Arranging for the said contracts to be publicly funded.
•
Requiring excessive performance and payment bonds for contractors.
•
Manipulating the grant of the said bonds in order to favour
NYC.
•
Falsely pretending that the said processes were open, honest
and competitive.
•
Falsely pretending that the terms of the said contracts were
fair and reasonable.
|
