$80M tragedy

That was how retired Justice of Appeal Mustapha Ibrahim, chairman of the Las Alturas Commission of Inquiry, summed up the State’s housing project in Morvant as he handed in his final report on the matter to President Anthony Carmona.

“It is the first time that a considerable amount of money – almost $80 million – has been spent in constructing those buildings never to be occupied by anyone because of the danger that they pose to occupants, to visitors, to the general public at large,” Ibrahim said at a ceremony held at President’s House.

“That is a tragedy and it is only fitting that this commission should have been appointed to enquire into the causes.” Ibrahim later said the $80 million includes an estimate of US$3 million for the proposed demolition of Towers H and I. However, the figure does not include the cost of the inquiry itself.

Unconfirmed reports yesterday suggested the inquiry’s overall costs totalled roughly $6 million, inclusive of payment of $1.5 million to Ibrahim, $750,000 to fellow commissioners and about $1.5 million in legal fees to Pamela Elder SC and $1.2 million to Jagdeo Singh.

Ibrahim declined to discuss fees with reporters.

The Las Alturas project (the name is Spanish for “the heights”) straddled successive government administrations, though it began in 2002. Variations totalling $24.8 million were approved by the Housing Development Corporation in April 2010, weeks before that year’s general election.

The commission — appointed in December 2014 — heard evidence suggesting professionals from all walks of life neglected their duties, including engineers, contractors, and State technocrats charged with administration and oversight including at the Housing Development Corporation and the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott).

In his address, Ibrahim mentioned the problems with the site at Lady Young Gardens, Morvant, saying these could have been picked up at an early stage.

“It may be horrifying for you to know that those buildings were built on an immense longitudinal crack in the ground,” Ibrahim said. “The buildings were built in an area where there was shifting sands where, if inquiries were made by the relevant authorities before the land was acquired, it would have been obvious to all concerned that that land was not suitable.” Saying the buildings were “unfit for human habitation,” he added, “We have had sufficient evidence to make our findings in relation to all those who were culpable.” Said the retired Justice of Appeal, “I don’t know if in your wide and varied experience whether you have ever heard of any governmental authority causing buildings to be constructed with a considerable amount of money expended and they were unfit for human habitation.” He added, “It is only fitting that you yourself should have shown a great deal of interest in the construction of those two high-rise buildings H and I.”