Investigate Tobago ferries’ procurement

In his letter to the Commission, Maharaj said the “factual matrix” surrounding the procurement of the services of Bridgeman Services has been in the public domain since the beginning of July and has raised a number of questions that the Port Authority has failed or refused to adequately addressed.

He provided a summary of the events that occurred beginning with the installation of a new Port Authority Board on March 6, 2017.

He said on June 30, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan and Port Authority Chairman Alison Lewis at a press conference stated that Government gave the Port Authority approval to lease two vessels, Cabo Star, and the passenger boat, Ocean Flower, to service the sea bridge between Trinidad and Tobago. Maharaj said the Ocean Flower was secured without a local team inspecting the vessel however Sinanan said because it was a lease arrangement and not a purchase an inspection was not required. Maharaj said this contradicts a series of emails between Port Authority CEO Charmaine Lewis and Elias Bezas of Terajet requesting inspection or survey for a similar lease arrangement.

“This is a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs. The fact that one service provider was asked to subject itself to inspection while the other was not creates the unmistakable impression that favourable treatment was given to Bridgeman while the same was not offered to others.

There can be no question that such conduct constitutes an egregious breach of the Integrity in Public Life Act and constitutes a damning piece of evidence which creates a dark cloud over this entire transaction,” Maharaj said.

Bridgeman Services LP and Bridgeman Trinidad Services LP are both registered in Canada and based in Vancouver. He said Bridgeman Services LP was registered in Canada on September 29, 2015 weeks after the General Election.

Maharaj said he conducted extensive online research utilized several personal contacts in Canada in an effort to find out if Bridgeman Services had any experience in shipping or ferry services in any part of the world. “Despite my best efforts I have not been able to find any facts which support Bridgeman Services LP as a company with any experience in this field. It appears beyond contraction that Bridgeman Services LP and Bridgeman Trinidad Services LP have not registered any particulars of Directors or Shareholders.

This it would seem is a fairly sophisticated effort to hide from the public glare the true owners of both companies. That begs the question as to why someone would go to such lengths to hide the true ownership of the company if the company is a legitimate one and the transaction is a legitimate one.” He said these issues in the public domain have generated many questions surrounding the procurement of Bridgeman Services LP as the ferry service provider of choice by the PATT. “Who is Bridgeman Services LP / Bridgeman Trinidad Services LP? How can a company with no experience and not lawfully registered be contracted by the PATT.

When was the contract signed ? What was the due diligence done on Bridgeman Services LP? Is Bridgeman Services compliant with the Board of Inland Revenue, National Insurance, Financial Intelligence Unit, given that the PATT has paid and will be paying large amounts of cash to this entity on a regular basis.” When Newsday contacted Sinanan yesterday, he described Maharaj as an “expired politician who is trying his best to redeem himself and to become relevant trying to make a name for itself.” “He is well within the law to do what he is doing I have no objection to it. If the Integrity Commission sees it fit to investigate I welcome that however I have full confidence in the Port Authority and its Board and I feel very confident that the results will be exactly what I expect,” he said.

Sinanan also expressed his intention to write the Commission on issues that occurred under Maharaj’s tenure as Transport Minister.