Did minister get $75,000 bribe?

Williams and Khan flatly denied the charges. The startling claims came during the House of Representatives debate on the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Draft Order 2005. Persad-Bissessar read aloud a letter which she said had been sent to Prime Minister Patrick Manning from Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation PNM councillor for Ecclesville, Dansam Dansook.

She said she had received the letter anonymously in her post box. Newsday obtained a copy of the letter which was undated, written by hand on non-headed paper.

The letter said bribes were paid in connection with a seismic survey, done apparently for a proposed oil pipeline at Guayaguayare/Mayaro.

In the letter, Dansook said that on Ash Wednesday he had met Khan with whom he had "certain arrangements." When Dansook complained to Khan about the alleged threats made to him by Williams, Khan telephoned Williams, and then put Dansook on the line to Williams.

Dansook said Williams made an apparent threat saying the intelligence services were on to him.

The letter added: "I then reminded Minister Williams that I had already given him $75,000 in bribes on the said project and that I will expose him, and he said, ‘expose Frankie too’ referring to Minister Khan."

Dansook wrote: "Therefore, Prime Minister, in the circumstances and with a death threat hanging over my head, I am confirming to you that I have paid bribes to both minister Franklin Khan and Eric Williams on the said seismic project, and further Minister Khan used one of my companies in the 2001 general election to rip off Venture Production to pay for his campaign."

Dansook added that he could make much more information available to Manning. In the House, Speaker Barry Sinanan let Persad-Bissessar read the whole letter unhindered. No one from the Government benches rose to protest on grounds of irrelevance, or impugning an MP’s character. When she had finished, Eric Williams stood and denied the charges.

He said: "I want to state categorically that I never received any funds as you have reported there from Mr. Dansam Dansook... As Minister of Energy I received complaints from Terra Seis Seismic Company and from Talisman that their seismic survey was being sabotaged.

" I spoke to Mr Dansook and told him that the State of TT would have to take serious action against him if those allegations proved to be correct. After I spoke to him the first time, the apparent sabotage ceased for awhile, then it grew again."

Williams claimed that expatriates had fled after receiving death threats.

"We also had reports that expatriates assigned to that crew went to Piarco Airport, from there the crew phoned back and said, ‘send my clothes for me, I’m leaving to go to Canada because of the death threats I have received’, and they said whom they had alleged gave those death threats.

"As Minister of Energy, I then spoke to the gentleman again and said, ‘If these allegations are true then the State will have to take action against you.’ And at that time the company as I understood it, terminated his contract at which time he said to me he will see to my destruction."

At the adjournment of the House, Newsday questioned Franklin Khan. "To say the least it’s ludicrous. It is not rooted in any fact or semblance of fact. I guess this is the thing you face when you live in public office. So I guess I’ll have to manage whatever I have to manage. There’s no basis for it." Referring to Dansook’s letter, Khan said, "It’s a baseless document."

Asked why he did not deny the allegations in the House, he said: "I don’t think this is the forum to make such a statement." He added that he was covered by Williams’ denial and that his innocence "goes without saying."

When Newsday called Eccelesville PNM Councilor Dansam Dansook for comment, he declined to comment. He said: "I believe there is an investigation into the matter. I do not wish to say anything at this time."

When another Newsday reporter called, Dansook became abusive and hung up the phone.

The media recently reported that Manning had stated that he had sent to the Integrity Commission allegations of corruption made against two Government ministers.

During the debate, Persad-Bissessar urged that the letter be sent to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Fraud Squad.