Corrupt TT officials can lose US visas

NATIONALS of Trinidad and Tobago suspected of being involved in corrupt activities can have their United States visas revoked. This was revealed yesterday by Duncan Walker, Economic and Commercial Officer at the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain when he addressed a breakfast seminar hosted by AmCham at the Scarlet Ibis Room, Hilton. He spoke on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977. Walker pointed out that although the United States may not be able to do anything to corrupt officials in another country, his Government can revoke the visas of those persons so they cannot enter the US. “They will not be able to come to Miami to shop, or to have a vacation there,” he added. He pointed out that the first time such a thing was done was in December 2002 when the former President of Nicaragua had his visa cancelled.

Walker said the US Ambassador to that country simply went to the former President’s home, asked for his passport and revoked the visa. “As you know, there are a lot of Nicaraguans living in Miami, so it was something which made big headlines in Miami at the time.” Admitting that the US does not make hasty decisions based on media reports, Walker said investigations will be conducted where “there is smoke”. He admitted seeing and hearing reports in the media about possible corruption in this country, but as far as he knew no national of this country has had his visa cancelled. Walker said the US has had successful prosecutions in 33 countries since the Corrupt Practices Act became law in 1977. One of those successful prosecutions involved bribes paid to officials in Trinidad and Tobago. He listed the case involving US firm Sam P. Wallace which had been hired by the Trinidad and Tobago Government to build the controversial Caroni Racing Complex. According to the Embassy official, that was the seventh case brought under the new act in 1981. Walker revealed that Sam P. Wallace paid bribes totalling US $1,391,000 to officials in Trinidad and Tobago. “The company was fined US $30,000 which was not a lot of money. The President of the company was fined US$500,000 and given three years’ probation. He was over with. He lost his rights, he could not vote or take part in a lot of things. That is to show how effective that case was,” Walker added.