Judge gags media in UTC case

Minister in the Ministry of Finance responsible for the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC), Conrad Enill, told Newsday yesterday that Michael Alexander, who had been appointed to act as CEO of the corporation, would continue to run the organisation despite any court ruling in a law suit filed in December by former executive manager of marketing operations and information systems, Renrick Nickie. Nickie, who is challenging his dismissal, had asked the court to keep the top executive position vacant until his case was determined by the courts. Yesterday Justice Alan Mendonca gave his ruling on Nickie’s application but immediately issued a gag order preventing the media from reporting his decision.

UTC managers were said to be in meetings all day yesterday with Alexander following Mendonca’s ruling. It was the UTC’s attorney Seenath Jairam SC who asked the court to gag the media. Stanley Marcus SC, Nickie’s attorney, had no objections and so the court ordered that the ruling not be reported. Enill said that he had not yet been able to meet with the company’s chairman, Ainsworth Harewood, to find out what the exact situation was, but maintained that the UTC was a strong organisation and any decision of the court would not affect its future. He said, “The fact that we have someone on board who is in fact holding on to the top position and the day to day business is being run with a Board of Directors in place means business as usual. “This matter with the executive director position is a matter of law and the legal people will deal with it,” he continued. “But that does not particularly affect the running of the company, because there is something in place to deal with everything.”

The UTC Board issued a release on Monday stating that Alexander, president of the UTC Financial Services Ltd, had been appointed to act as CEO from Monday, pending the appointment of an executive director to replace Clarry Benn, who retired on Sunday. The Board of Directors, the release revealed, is in the final stage of reviewing applicants for the post of executive director. Nickie had been considered in line for appointment before he was dismissed. Nickie who was present in court yesterday filed legal proceedings challenging his dismissal. He is seeking several orders and declarations from the High Court including keeping the top position of executive director vacant until his case is determined by the court. Yesterday’s gag order against the media was the second in two months in matters of public interest. Late last year, Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls, sitting as coroner in an inquest gagged the media from revealing the names and addresses of two students of the International School at Westmoorings. The students were witnesses to the shooting by police of Phillip Seerattan at the school on November 20, 2002.