Monday, October 15 2012

PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Saturday night announced that the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), after paying a monthly lease/rental of $1.2 million for a period of 20 years to MILSHIRV Limited, must then turn over the office complex to that company at the end of this time.

Persad-Bissessar described this revelation as “the sting in the tail” surrounding the THA’s BOLT (Build, Own, Lease and Transfer) transaction with MILSHIRV Ltd for construction of an office complex to house the THA Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment (DAMME).

Addressing a People’s Partner­ship/Tobago Organisation of the People rally in Scarborough on Saturday evening, the Prime Minister said details of this arrangement were contained in a “missing” document (“Annexe B”), attached to the “Office Lease”. Persad-Bissessar claimed the Assembly failed to register the “Office Lease”, and that up to Friday “Annexe B” had not been annexed to the “Office Lease” document signed by the THA Chief Administrator.

Persad-Bissessar said she, however, received a copy of the “Annexe B” document mysteriously in her mail box.

“This is what is the sting of the tail in the scorpion...After the 20 years the THA must give back the building to MILSHIRV”, said Persad-Bissessar.

She said, according to the document, the Assembly would still be required to meet the insurance, land taxes, and maintenance costs for the building complex, and questioned why the THA would enter into such an agreement.

“We have no problem with BOLT; it is how it is done”, she said. “At the end, the THA will have to transfer the building back to MILSHIRV”.

SEE PAGE 5