Loads of material moved from hospital to Landate

The disclosure was made yesterday by Anthony Sookram, operations manager of P Ramnarine Rental Services based in Lowlands, Tobago. Sookram was giving evidence at the commission of inquiry into the Scarborough Hospital project at Winsure Building, Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain.

Commissioners, retired judge Annestine Sealey, Dr Chandrabhan Sharma and Eustace Hobson are probing allegations against Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley. He is accused of impropriety as it relates to the hospital project and the award of contracts to NH International Caribbean Limited (NHIC) and Warner Construction Ltd in 2002.

Yesterday, Sookram led in evidence by his attorney Kelvin Ramkissoon said the rental company owns several trucks and other heavy equipment, and it is his duty to ensure that he sources work for the company.

He said in 2003 he heard about the Scarborough hospital project, where NHIC was the main contractor. He said in March 2003 he spoke to Roy Malchina, a site foreman at the project about getting hired. He said Malchina advised that when they were ready for the equipment he would be called. He was subsequently called and started work in April 2003 where he received instructions from Malchina and Ossie Mohammed the quantity surveyor employed on the project. Sookram said he employed four drivers and was requested to deliver material from the Scarborough project to the Landate project in Mason Hall, which is known in Tobago as the "Landsend" project.

He said he transported an enormous amount of material from the Scarborough project to Landate. These included jobs on February 1, 4 5, 7, 13, 19 and 25, 2004. The jobs required him to transport thousands of concrete blocks, a variety of sand and mixed aggregrate as well as cement.

Sookram said Mohammed gave him instructions to move the material from the Scarborough project, which was received at the Landate site by Simon Ragbir. Sookram said from his understanding Ragbir was the site foreman on the Landate project for NHIC, which he understood to be the main contractor on the Landate project.

Cross examined by attorney Jason Mootoo, who represents NHIC and Malchina, Sookram said he was also hired by NHIC to transport material from the Scarborough Port to the hospital project. He said the distance from the port to the hospital was a 20 minute drive, compared to the hour long trip to the Landate site. He said the hospital site was secured, unlike Landate which was open.

Sookram initially said that the material would arrive at nights at the port and was cleared at about 10 pm or 11 pm. He agreed that it was more difficult to move materials from the port to the Landate site than to the hospital site at nights.

But he later explained to attorney Robin Montano that all materials were cleared in the day. Montano represents Barrington Thomas. Sookram said he got a boat note from NHIC to collect the material from the port. But he said he knew that if loaded trucks were sent on the boats they were allowed to leave at nights for the hospital project. Questioned by commission attorney Trevor Lee, SC, Sookram said he never witnessed this nor did he have personal knowledge about it.

Sookram said the materials were transported from the hospital to Landate during the day in the full view of the public and was checked by the security at the hospital before it left. He, however, said he did deliver blocks from the port to Landate at one time, and while it was normal to have a materials transfer slip, on at least five or six occasions he had no slips.

Moona Ramroop, a truck driver, also gave evidence. He said he was employed by NHIC on the hospital project. He, however, later worked on the Landate project, but was still paid by NHIC and would receive his cheques at the hospital site. He said his salary was not regular at the hospital site but at Landate his salary was fixed and did not depend on how many trips he made.

The third witness to give evidence yesterday was Suibert Gilbert, an investigator with the Integrity Commission.

He tendered into evidence several transfer slips for material from the hospital project to Landate. The inquiry will resume today at 9 am weather permitting.

Attorneys Trevor Lee SC, Andre des Vignes and Morris Valere appear for the commission with Gilbert Petersen, SC, Reginald Armour and Margaret Rose for Rowley and Christopher Hamel-Smith and Jonathan Walker for NIPDEC.