Garcia: I will sue over Las Alturas

“I will also be seeking a judicial review to quash that very misleading and damaging section of the report, which was intended to, as we say locally, ‘lick me up’,” he said.

Garcia told Sunday Newsday yesterday that if no satisfactory apology is issued to him, he will approach the court for damages.

“I am going to seek damages from the three commissioners, in particular the chairman, in their personal capacity.” Garcia threatened to sue them in their personal capacity, “because clearly after spending $24 million of taxpayers money, to come up with such rubbish they should be dipping in their pockets rather than the State to compensate me. That is my position.” Noting his reasons for a judicial review, he said, “The report in my view is blatant untruths. It cannot be supported by facts. The commissioners had some other agenda, a political agenda, other than the truth. It seems that they came with preconceived notions. When a court examines it, it will have no choice but to rule in my favour.

They will deem it to be malicious and to have motives that does not square with the evidence that was produced at the inquiry.” His lawyers, he said, were going through the report, and from a preliminary perusal, they have advised him that he has a case.

“They are putting together the papers to approach the court. It is up to them to file for action. I expect it to be done very soon,” he said.

The commission was chaired by retired Justice Mustapha Ibrahim and included civil engineer Dr Myron Wing-Sang Chin, and engineer Anthony Farrell.

The report said Garcia and former Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago executive chairman Calder Hart should be held responsible for the failed $26 million Las Alturas towers.

Garcia appeared before the commission and according to the report, he “gave a very pathetic display in the witness box.” The report said it was under his stewardship that Buildings “H” and “I” were built in an area unsuitable for development, and were earmarked to be demolished.

It said, “Several decisions taken by him or on which he participated leave much to be desired. His evidence was very unsatisfactory in many respects and decisions made by him showed lack of proper guidance and leadership which was required to oversee the project.” When decisions were taken, Garcia said, “I was nowhere around. How could I be responsible for something that happened after I left the HDC?” He said, “I left the HDC in June 2008. Construction started sometime in 2009. It was completed in 2010. The problem started in 2011.” It was sad, he said, “that in 2016 people can use taxpayers money to attack innocent citizens on the basis of outright lies.” Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley laid the report in the Parliament on Friday after President Anthony Carmona handed it over to him. Carmona received it from the commission on Monday.