Cateau granted $.5 million bail

PETER CATEAU, former client representative in the Ministry of Works and Transport, appeared in court yesterday to answer one charge relating to the investigations into the Piarco Airport Terminal Development Project. Cateau, who lives at Mausica, appeared before Senior Magistrate Ejenny Espinet in the Port-of-Spain First Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiring with others to obtain contracts on the Piarco Airport Terminal project for a total face value of $1.6 billion. It was alleged that the conspiracy took place between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2001.

After Monday’s no-show at the offices of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Investigations, Cateau finally surrendered yesterday. He turned up at the Richmond Street offices of the Bureau at 8 am yesterday in company with his attorney Jawara Mobota. He was processed by the complainant, Senior Supt Maurice Piggott and taken right away to the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court. Dressed in a green plaid shirt and brown pants, Cateau was escorted into the courtroom at 9.22 am. Cateau was not alone. Dean Knolly Clarke, of the Anglican Church, was in court with two other priests and former PNM Senator Canute Spencer. Clarke said Cateau was his friend and the church was supporting him in his time of need. Mobota was present along with lead prosecutor Gilbert Petersen SC. The magistrate then read the charge to Cateau indicating that the charge was laid indictably and therefore he was not asked to plead. All this time, Cateau stood in the dock and kept looking around at everyone in the court room.

Mobota announced that Bindra Dolsingh was also appearing in the matter. He said although the bail documents stipulated a $500,000 sum, he asked the magistrate to reduce the amount. Mobota said his client was  based in St Vincent as Procurement and Management Control Specialist with the World Bank. “When he got word that he was about to be charged, he contacted his attorney with the intention of giving himself up. I hope this would go to a reduction of his bail,”Mobota added. But Magistrate Espinet said she was not varying Cateau’s bail and left it at $500,000. The case was then adjourned to June 3 when Cateau will appear with nine others who were charged last week in the latest set of cases in the Piarco Airport Terminal Development Project investigations.