SASC grilled over Coudray transfer

MEMBERS OF the Statutory Authorities Service Commission (SASC) yesterday insisted that they did not withdraw from the court matter involving CEO of the San Fernando City Corporation, Marlene Coudray, but were advised to settle the matter and they had no option but to oblige. They also denied having any contact with Prime Minister Patrick Manning over the issue of Coudray’s transfer to the Point Fortin Borough Corporation. The members, led by chairman Louis Bryan, were at the time appearing before members of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) of Parliament to report on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions with the exception of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. The public meeting, the second of the JSC, took place at the Parliament Chamber in the Red House.

The meeting, which lasted an hour, was dominated by the Coudray issue with Byran coming under intense questioning by Opposition Senator Robin Montano, a member of the JSC. The chairman of the JSC, Independent Senator Ramesh Deosaran, was at times forced to bring calm to the meeting. The SASC members were expected to answer questions about its 2002/2003 annual report, but at the end of the session, which had to be adjourned to a date to be fixed to continue, Bryan was forced to enquire if it was devised that they be questioned only about Coudray and be badgered. However, Deosaran himself admitted that he too felt deprived because he didn’t get to ask questions about the report.

Bryan, in response to questions, said the SASC functioned independently and only consulted with politicians on the appointment and reappointment of heads and deputy heads of Statutory Authorities. He said they had no interaction with politicians and never consulted the PM on any issue. Bryan admitted there were at least four matters pending before the courts involving the Commission, but none were similar to the Coudray matter. He defended the Commission’s action to issue a paid advertisement following the resolution of the Coudray matter in the San Fernando High Court, saying “we felt it necessary because what was bandied about was misinformation.”

However, Byran insisted that the SASC did not “give up” by withdrawing from the court matter, but they were advised by the Solicitor General that they should settle the matter and they had no option. He said the Commission felt they acted properly in the case. He said he did not consider the statement about Coudray’s transfer by Manning on August 8, 2003 as alarming nor did he think the PM was interfering with their jurisdiction. He denied any of the SASC’s members spoke to the PM, stating that the request to transfer Coudray came from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government.

Responding to further questions, Bryan said the SASC has no power to investigate public officers or the types of allegations Coudray made in her letter to the Commission about political victimisation. Told that a recommendation would be made that they abdicated their responsibility and they should resign, Byran said “that is your view” and maintained that the SASC members would not resign, even if it withdrew, lost or conceeded to the pending matters before the court. He also disclosed that if Coudray was transferred to Point Fortin, Mr Ragoobar, who usually acted as CEO in Point Fortin, would have acted as CEO in San Fernando. Most of the PNM members on the JSC were absent from the meeting, except for Rawle Titus, who was present for a short time. The four UNC representatives were present.