By SEAN DOUGLAS Saturday, May 23 2009

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Crime debate: Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh during debate on the Proceeds of Crime Act in Parliament yesterday. ...

CARONI East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh yesterday said up to $50 billion in excess costs on State mega-projects largely run by Udecott may be linked to money-laundering. He was speaking on the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2009 in the Lower House.

“This Government in its present incarnation, from 2001 to 2008 —seven years, Mr Speaker, — has spent over $50 billion of this $250 billion that this country has spent, on massive corrupt projects. $50 billion!”

Gopeesingh said the sum dwarfed the $1.6 billion spent by the UNC regime on the new Piarco Airport terminal.

Hitting the Government, he said: “The money laundering is coming from the expenditure and cost-overruns and corruption within all these state sectors.”

He said the cost of the two Academies for Performing Arts had risen from $260 million to $864 million. Hitting the increase, he said, “$584 million more for money laundering, Mr Speaker! I ask the question, where is this money going?”

He said the cost of the Tarouba Stadium had risen by $510 million. He kept count.

“One billion so far in money laundering. What is the Government doing about it?” He said the cost of the Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic Centre had risen from an initial $40 million to a final cost of $248 million.

“So Mr Speaker, in four projects (are) cost-overruns of $2.297 billion more — in four projects of this Government by Udecott. Where is the money going? Is that going into the hands of money launderers. This is the proceeds of crime.”

He said the Government spent $3.4 billion on the International Financial Centre, a “white elephant” that remains unoccupied.

Gopeesingh said the Uff Commission of Inquiry recently heard testimony allegedly linking Mrs Sherrine Hart, wife of Udecott head Calder Hart, to two directors of the company building the $368 million Ministry of Legal Affairs towers.

In an apparent slip of the tongue, he erroneously named it as the Shanghai Company, when it is actually the Sunway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd.

Referring to recent statements to the Uff inquiry by businessman Carl Khan, the ex-husband of Sherrine Hart, Gopeesingh wrongly stated: “Mr Khan gave testimony and it was on the web-site that the Shanghai Company, the owners of the Shanghai Company, is related to Mrs Hart - the Malaysian company.”

Gopeesingh hit the Government over an extra $24 million allegedly spent to dry-dock one of the water-taxis. He asked Works Minister Colm Imbert about the Nidco CEO having a phone bill of $34,000 per month. “There was no board operating in Nidco for the last two years...”.

He said Nidco had spent $508 million, without having a board but being run from the office of Imbert. “E-teck spent $220 million in renovation...$214 million to buy out the VHL Tobago Golf and Spa Resort.”

He repeated claims of money laundering and called for forensic audits into all these projects.

Referring to Information Minister Neil Parsanlal, he said, “We have a member speaking about moral authority, and he did not even file his assets to the Integrity Commission.”

Gopeesingh said five ministers are before the Integrity Commission, on issues including Trinre, Clico, and an alleged undeclared US$6 million.

He claimed Government inaction over allegations of an EMBD official seeking a bribe to release funds to pay a contractor.

Noting $1.2 billion spent to develop lands of the former Caroni (1975) Limited, he asked the whereabouts of a senior official of the EMBD.

He said, “We understand that a private plane was taken to send him away, because money has been laundered away by a senior public official of EMBD and the Prime Minister has done nothing about it because we have bagmen. We have a number of bagmen around in Trinidad and Tobago. EMBD is one, Udecott is the next one, UTT is the next one.”

Earlier Parsanlal accused Princes Town North MP Subhas Panday of last week having erred in his speech, with the minister now saying it was the former UNC regime that had legislated to allow the President to pardon persons guilty of money laundering.