Moonilal: CEPEP a king-sized bed of corruption

According to Moonilal, the letter, titled “Priority list for CEPEP contracts (amended)” which he claimed was undersigned by Dillon in his capacity as the Minister of Parliament for Point Fortin, was sent to the Secretary of the CEPEP Tenders Committee on January 27.

Moonilal said the letter lists the names and contracting companies of nine contractors with strong recommendations from the Minister for them to be awarded contracts for projects within the Point Fortin constituency for which he is the MP.

“These are companies being recommended by the Minister of National Security and MP for Point Fortin,” said Moonilal, “one Mr Edmund Ernest Dillon...now if ever there was a misnomer - ‘Ernest’.” Dillon could not be contacted yesterday to respond to Moonilal’s claims.

The letter referenced a January 8 letter sent to the Committee which presumably had the original list of recommended names which was then being amended. CEPEP’S board was appointed and sworn in on January 8.

Moonilal furthered his allegations against CEPEP, criticising an audit into the company as ordered by Public Utilities Minister, Ancil Antoine, earlier this year.

Moonilal claimed that the audit was performed by Nadia Khan Beckhoo of Deloitte and Touche who, he said, was also given a senior position with CEPEP.

Managing partner for Deloitte in Trinidad, Rikhy Rampersad, however, denied claims by Moonilal that Beckhoo was given a CEPEP position as Financial Manager. Rampersad assured Newsday in a telephone interview that Beckhoo was employed at Deloitte and Touche, but had taken a few days off to deal with personal matters.

“We take client confidentiality very seriously,” Rampersad said, “but I could just tell you that she (Beckhoo) was never employed by CEPEP. She is an employee of Deloitte and has been for the past six to seven years. I do not know where he (Moonilal) would have gotten that from. She has never been on anyone else’s payroll for the past six to seven years.” Moonilal noted that he would be writing to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago to make a formal complaint against Beckhoo.

“You cannot come in to the company under one ground and get a job, then you compromise the results of that. It is not fair. It is not impartial, it is not independent,” Moonilal said.