Hochoy brushes off allegations of corruption

FORMER Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Hochoy Charles said he was unaware of any allegations of impropriety concerning the extension of the Crown Point International Airport. Responding to a motion on the adjournment of the Senate last week, Works and Transport Minister Franklin Khan disclosed that Government was investigating whether corruption was responsible for delaying that project. Detailing the chronology of the Crown Point project from its genesis on March 16 1999, when the THA (headed by Charles at the time) engaged Lee Young and Partners (LYP) as the project’s consultant to the present, Khan said the Joint Consultative Council of the construction industry had expressed concerns in January 2003 about whether tendering procedures were followed for the procurement of LYP as project consultant.

The minister said investigations were conducted, he received a final report on the matter in November, and this report would soon go before Cabinet. Khan said it appeared as if Charles “picked up the phone, called LYP and said ‘I want you to design that contract’.” Contacted yesterday, Charles told Newsday that he had no idea what Khan was  talking about. Charles dismissed Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s pronouncement that “what Tobago wants, Tobago gets” as pure politicking and claimed this was not the case under Manning’s administration.

The DAC leader has expressed support for Cecil Caruth’s decision to contest the January 17 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections “on a DAC platform,” and said talks were still ongoing between the NAR and DAC to form an alliance. Charles added that there has been no communication from the Opposition UNC about teaming up with the NAR and DAC. Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday yesterday said the UNC has decided not to enter the THA elections because it did not want to do anything that would give the PNM any advantage.