Beesion’s low-code software will complement TSTT’s existing point of sale technology and will include a range of applications that will help store representatives better serve customers from the moment they walk in the retail store. These include:

• Store greeter functionality – enabling subscribers to check in and identify what they need

• Product, services and offer catalog – enabling personalized recommendations, based on customers’ previous purchases and preferences

• Streamlined validation – enabling quicker validation of ID and other documentation

The solution will also untether customer service representatives from a desktop solution, allowing them to use a tablet to browse products and services with customers, prepare quotes, initiate and complete check out, and fulfill orders, all from one software portal. The solution will improve the efficiency of staff serving customers by eliminating the need to consult multiple systems or use manual processes.

When the system is implemented later this year, TSTT will have greater visibility into the sales process, with a broad range of performance metrics and integrate fulfillment and check-out into one workflow.

“TSTT has the most diverse product portfolio among all competing operators in the country and our priority is to provide an exceptional customer experience based on our streamlined, converged in-store operations. Beesion’s low-code technology enables us to do this in a short time frame,” said Dr. Ronald Walcott, CEO of TSTT.

Beesion’s point of sale solution will include at least 10 software applications. Beesion accelerates the development process by using its library of prebuilt software modules specific to the telecom industry and visual modeling, instead of hand coding. Applications are launched, expanded, and supported up to five times faster than traditional development.

“We are thrilled to participate in TSTT’s customer experience transformation,” said Omar Merchan, Beesion CEO. “Our low-code platform not only enables a swift software roll-out, but will also allow TSTT to make changes to their solutions easily, in line with new business requirements.”

The retail transformation will be a catalyst for TSTT to implement omni-channel initiatives across its operations that provides customers with a consistent service experience in every channel

The report however identified constraints that the FIU has been facing, particularly the need for more resources and training for the analytical section arising from new tasks such as detailed strategic analysis linked to terrorism financing and from the increasing number of Suspicious Transaction Reports/ Suspicious Activity Reports (STRs/ SARs) being received. In addition, regarding the supervisory role, the report concluded that the scope of entities to be supervised exceeded the capacity of the FIU, which did not appear to have sufficient resources to properly carry out the regulatory and monitoring functions.

Legal constraints on the FIU’s supervisory powers were also identified as it is required to obtain consent from the owner of a business before an AML/CFT inspection can take place.

For this reporting period, the FIU received 739 suspicious transaction reports, which include both competed and attempted transactions, an increase of 21% over the last period. Submissions from the Banking sector increased from 185 to 284, almost 54%.

Submissions from Money Value Transfer Services and Private Members Clubs increased by 76% and 78% respectively compared to last year. For 2016, the FIU completed analysis on 533 STRs/ SARs and from this, generated 209 Intelligence Reports – 178 related to Money Laundering and 31 related to Financing Terrorism.

The total monetary value of the 739 STRs/SARs submitted to the FIU in 2016 was over TT$805 million, representing a 127% increase over 2015. For the period 2011-2016, the total monetary value of suspicious transactions reported was approximately TT$4.5 billion.

There has also been a steady increase in the number of attempted transactions reported over the period 2013-2016, accounting for almost 43% of the total value of STRs/SARs submitted. In its report, the FIU noted that cash continues to be widely used in suspicious activities – of the 739 STRs/SARs received in 2016 almost 50% involved cash transactions with a value of over TT$114 million.

Interestingly, analysis of the STRs/SARs submitted by profession showed that transactions conducted by business owners and company directors continued to account for the majority of suspicious transactions reported – 145 or almost 20%. Additionally, there was also an increase in the number of STRs/SARs involving law enforcement and security personnel as well as an increase in the number of Politically Exposed Persons reported for suspicious transactions.

For 2016, money laundering represented 23% of the suspected criminal activity, followed by fraud, accounting for 19% and drug trafficking at 16%. The FIU also identified an increase of human trafficking reports – this was the suspected offence in 15 STRs/ SARs.

There were two emerging trends identified in the FIU’s Report – wire transfers to jurisdictions suspected of involvement in human trafficking activities and the use of fraudulent certificates of insurance and false documentation to support claims arising from motor vehicle accidents.

A continuing trend is the use of bank accounts for lottery or employment fraud.

In this reporting year, the FIU took – for the first time – enforcement action against an entity for breaches of its obligations under the Financial Obligations Regulations (FOR).

In addition, the FIU took enforcement action against 114 entities who failed to comply with their obligation to register with the FIU and against 107 entities for failure to implement AML/ CFT legal obligations. In this year, seven persons were charged with money laundering, bringing the total to 16 persons so charged under the Proceeds of Crime Act since 2012.

The 4th Round Mutual Evaluation recognised that challenges which negatively impact the work of the FIU are the lack of resources, the need for training, and has further identified language as a barrier since the FIU now exchanges information more frequently outside of the jurisdiction.

The work of the FIU is clearly important and emphasis must be placed on ensuring that the FIU is properly staffed and trained in order to meet its mandate. Focus should be on the Analysis Division to cope with the steady increase in the number and complexity of STRs/SARs received, and the new FATF requirement for Intelligence at the strategic level to assist in law enforcement decision-making.

Additional staffing may also be considered for the Compliance Division as the entities to be supervised increased to 2288 in 2016.

It is apparent that legislative reform may also be necessary in order to ensure that the FIU remains able to keep up with the creative ways the criminal elements find to disguise the movement of illicit funds. The recommendations made by FATF should be a high priority if we ever want to control of these criminal activities and see more STRs/SARs translated to more convictions.

Minister of Trade and Industry, Senator Paula Gopee- Scoon delivered the feature address and paid homage to Calypso Rose. “Calypso Rose is an outstanding example of a calypsonian who has excelled and shattered the proverbial glass ceiling in the process. She made her way into the calypso fraternity, at a time when this art form was primarily male dominated, and became the first female Road March winner and the first woman to win the Calypso Monarch title. She also copped the Calypso Queen title for five consecutive years from 1972 to 1977.”

She assured members of the audience that, ‘the Government of Trinidad and Tobago appreciates and understands the social, cultural and economic importance of calypso music to our nation and beyond. Calypso Rose, in collecting her French Grammy, signalled that calypso was not limited to any country, any language, any culture, or any gender. Indeed, this Government remains fully committed to the development of the creative sector of which music, indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago, is a key component. In fact, this facility, the National Academy for the Performing Arts, is testament to our government’s vision to diversify the economy through investment in infrastructure to bolster the creative industry.’

The minister said in order to succeed, small and medium enterprises in the music industry must have greater access to financial support. “The Ministry of Trade and Industry, for instance, has been working with the World Bank to establish a Secured Transaction and Collateral Registry where movable property would serve as collateral. By that I mean non-traditional assets such as equipment can be used as collateral. Another area which needs strengthening is that of intellectual property. Those wanting to make a career in the music industry, including songwriters, singers and producers must therefore be well-versed with assessing the value of their intellectual property and must use mechanisms to protect these assets to ensure their rightful income streams.’

According to Price Waterhouse Coopers, revenue from the global music industry is expected to grow from US $42.93 billion in 2015 to just over US $47.7 billion in 2020. Trinidad and Tobago’s bourgeoning music Industry is therefore not only critical to the preservation of the culture but also to the country’s sustainable development. Production, sound engineering, composing, recording and publishing were highlighted as viable career choices. Also referenced was a 2016 report by the Inter–American Development Bank (IDB) which listed the creative arts as an industry with the potential for the highest employment in Trinidad and Tobago, along with fields such as medicine and engineering, according to data from the University of the West Indies.

During a panel discussion, the dynamic Calypso Rose gave the audience, which comprised of budding and established artistes, a road map to her success. She stated that, “God said I made you in my own image and likeness. Anything you want in life you can get it. As long as you build your faith and hope and you say I will, I will, I will, you are going to succeed.” She also made a call for culture to be taught in the nation’s schools. “I have taken Trinidad and Tobago’s culture, our Carnival all over the world. We need to teach culture in the schools in Trinidad and Tobago,’ she said.

The Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly also addressed participants. “Most times we look at Carnival as participatory. How we participate, how we sing, how we enjoy our Carnival and we tend not to look at it from the aspect of what it can bring for us because the enjoyment tends to be what we concentrate on. But we are at a time now, where others have taken their creative arts and done so much with it, and a time where our oil and gas reserves are being threatened … this is the time now where we have to look at our creativity as a way for diversification and as a way for bringing economic returns into the country.”

The workshop served as a medium through which calypso and the people who make it a reality could gain insights into commercialising their skills and expanding opportunities. It included panel discussions on the story and history of Calypso Rose; essentials in composing calypso – then and now; calypso music production and the music business/ finance /marketing of calypso.

Among the areas highlighted were the benefits of ongoing training to perfect one’s art or performance, hard work and commitment, valuing local creativity, protecting one’s intellectual property, strategising for commercial/financial viability, branding, and online marketing. Effective communication, including between the more experienced music entrepreneurs and those less experienced, was also stressed.

Its national director, Jennifer Massiah, said this was “primarily because a large number of programme applicants cannot meet our land-tenure criterion and are unable to repay our very modest monthly mortgage.

“This has been a major stumbling block, as these families and children are in need of decent, affordable housing.”

In order to keep its “shelter mandate” commitment to more home owners, she said, the organisation had “significantly increased our support for renovations, completions and materials loans, intensified community activities and enthusiastically pursued innovative fundraising and new revenue streams.”

Massiah shared the organisation’s concerns in the Shelter Report 2016 issued to the media on February 8.

Referring to the current recession, she said this had led to six of Habitat’s long-standing donors and one major construction manufacturer choosing not to renew their commitments to its programmes.

But this was somewhat balanced by the addition of “four new major donors who rose to the occasion to support our work,” Massiah said.

“We will continue to build on our relations with the nine continuing major donors, the several SMEs, and thousands of groups and individuals who faithfully honour their pledges of financial support.

The humanitarian gestures from small, medium and mega in-kind donors also continue to be astonishing: we have benefited from supplies in materials and/or services, discounts for construction materials, transportation, tools and equipment, mattresses, toiletries, food, water, decorations, entertainment, accommodation and equipment for special events.”

Massiah thanked donors for their trust in the organisation and for “standing side by side with our home owners. We ask that you encourage your peers to freely offer their time, talent and treasure also, as together we can make a difference.”

Habitat for Humanity’s “construction successes” in 2016 included its first Tobago house and the start of a major disaster-risk-reduction project in Moriah, as well as implementing partnerships with “Land for the Landless” and the Programme Monitoring and Co-ordinating Unit of the Ministry of Housing.

“These programmes added great value to support our product offerings,” Massiah said.

Government intervention is therefore critical, and if managed effectively, can be a political strongpoint of an administration.

According to the Public Transport Service Act, the PTSC is mandated to: Carry on a business; Operate public service vehicles; Ensure the provision of a safe, adequate, economic and efficient public transportation system, adapted to the needs of the country; Carry persons in vehicles authorised to carry six or more passengers Directly carry, store and consign goods on behalf of other persons from any place in Trinidad and Tobago to any other place therein; Provide such amenities and facilities for passengers and other persons making use of the services provided by it as appears to it requisite or expedient to provide; Construct, manufacture, purchase, maintain and repair anything required for the purpose of any of its activities; Conduct studies with respect to improving its service; Authorise any person to operate public service vehicles of any special class or description upon such terms and conditions, including payment of any such fee thereof as may be prescribed, in any area or district where the Corporation on economic or any other grounds does not consider it suitable or expedient to operate its own service.

Therefore, PTSC is simply a Government-owned bus company, and it has not been utilising all its opportunities. There is a need for PTSC to maximise its services based on its existing powers in order to enhance its business activities.

According to the Maxi Taxi Act, Chapter 48:53, a maxi taxi is a public service vehicle with seating accommodation for not less than nine nor more than 25 passengers, and the administering authority for maxi-taxis is the Licensing Authority.

The Licensing Authority is responsible “for implementing and regulating the system,” and in the exercise of its functions shall collaborate with an Advisory Committee, Police Traffic Branch, the Transport Board, the Highways Division, the PTSC, and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

The Advisory Committee is to be appointed by the Minister and “shall consist of not more than seven persons who by their qualifications or experience, or both, are competent to assist the [Licensing] Authority in carrying out its functions.” It seems to me that the responsibility of the Licensing Authority to implement and regulate the maxi taxi transit system means that they are to manage a well-organised maxi taxi transit system that delivers high quality passenger transport services in a safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound manner. They have to provide proper schedules, location of stops, amenities at terminals, and information on routes and schedules, as part of this role.

Everyone knows that this is not done, and perhaps has never been done. What is the role of the legally-demanded collaborators in all of this? Are there technical advisors? Clearly, the administrator of maxi taxis and taxis has confined itself to vehicle and driver permits, with very little concern for users of the system as transit patrons.

This country will never be able to solve its transportation problems and traffic delays without properly addressing public transportation.

And, public transportation cannot be effectively developed and managed without a well-planned transit authority.

Perhaps the time has come for the PTSC to focus on routes and services that have (1) very high volumes of patrons and that require very high capacity, and (2) very low volumes of patrons, and thus would be unattractive to taxis and maxi taxis. And, the PTSC would then contract and manage the maxi-taxis for the other services. These issues would be part of the assessment of the staff of the Transit Authority Public transport planning and development have never been done by anybody. Isn’t it now easier to recognise why individuals and groups could suggest all sorts of things to fill the void, especially alternative modes, such as rapid rail, light rail, light transit, monorail, without any understanding of the type of transit or the context within which these forms operate and what our needs are? Does anybody recognise that illegal PH taxis is an informal desire to satisfy the demand for public transport? Is anybody concerned that the vast majority of persons who have no choice but to seek public transport are women and children, and who are the most vulnerable to those wishing to prey on them? When will public transport be arranged to treat all of society as first-class citizens? There must be integration of public transport services provided by the different transit operators.

Lack of integration among multiple public transportation operators has serious consequences. While passengers are most directly affected, the operators also incur inefficient operations and losses; ultimately, the entire urbanised regions suffer indirectly but significantly from such conditions.

There are many different obstacles to achievement of full integration of transit systems

The CSOs received support totaling TT$5 million to implement three projects. This was the first time the delegation has engaged with so many CSOs simultaneously, and with such a large purse.

The CSOs received their grants at a recent ceremony at Sagicor Financial Centre, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain.

The projects included strengthening civil society engagement in a more environmentally sustainable, socially just, inclusive, accountable and resilient model of development and governance in TT; a sexual culture of justice: LGBTQI and GBV partnerships, capacity and efficacy to promote and protect rights in TT; cultural rights to foster respect for human rights and freedoms against gender-based violence and LGBTI discrimination.

These projects were being funded under two thematic budget line allocations which were geared towards supporting civil society actions – the CSO/Local Authorities and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.

EU head of delegation Aad Biesebroek acknowledged the work being done by CSOs in TT, saying this additional support was in recognition of the key role they played in the advancement of human rights and development.

“We are encouraged by the commitment of these groups to come together to achieve their common goals,” Biesebroek said.

Biesebroek said he observed that most CSOs stood out thanks to their capacity and passion to reach out, empower, represent and defend vulnerable and socially excluded groups and trigger social innovation.

The EU proposed an enhanced and more strategic approach in its engagement with these groups, including requesting that they form consortiums to implement their proposed projects.

This is what he told a magistrate in San Fernando yesterday after he was arrested on the day of the “funeral” and kept in police custody which prevented him from attending.

Bachu, of Irving Street, San Fernando, was taken before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John before whom he pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing the money from an office on Harris Street, San Fernando. The magistrate heard from prosecutor Sgt Cleyon Seedan that it was on Saturday at about 9 am when a woman, close to where Bachu works as a handyman on Harris Street, placed the money in a desk drawer in an office.

The following day at about 7 am she checked and discovered it was missing. Bachu was arrested on Harris Street by a policeman, Seedan said, and when confronted about the money he replied, “Ah really thief the money and give some of it to help with funeral. I spend the rest. Boss give me ah chance nah.” Attorney Frank Gittens who pleaded on behalf of Bachu, told Forde-John that the defendant had told him that his wife’s sister died and the funeral was on Tuesday.

He told the court that Bachu wanted to render financial support to the family to meet the funeral expenses.

Seedan said Bachu has 16 previous convictions for similar offences. Forde-John asked him if he was fortunate to attend the funeral, but Gittens said that the defendant found himself behind bars awaiting his appearance in court and therefore could not even offer condolences to his relatives.

Forde-John fined Bachu $1500 and ordered him to pay compensation of $7000. He was ordered to pay $1000 forthwith or serve six months in jail. The magistrate granted him 30 days to pay the balance.

Sharaz Mohammed, 26, also told Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde- John, through an attorney who represented him, that when he was taken to the Maximum State Prison on Friday last, prison officers cuffed and slashed him across one of his cheeks. Mohammed of Woodland had appeared with his cousin Sadiq Mohammed, 24, also of Woodland, and their friend Brandon Basdeo, 21, of Penal, charged with abducting a 26-yearold woman from Cipero Street, San Fernando on February 11. The cousins were remanded into custody.

Police prosecutor Sgt Cleyon Seedan had objected to bail being granted to Mohammed and Sadiq because they had been out on bail for pending criminal charges when police arrested them.

Basdeo was granted $175,000 bail by the magistrate.

It is alleged that at about 8pm, the woman flagged down a car and asked to be taken to her home after leaving work at South Park in Tarouba. However, she was taken to a lonely path along Pluck Road, Woodland, where she was raped, buggered and robbed of two cell phones.

Yesterday, when Mohammed reappeared before Forde-John, attorneys Jason Jackson and Kathyanne Campaine represented him. Campaine asked the magistrate to make an order for him to get medical attention for the injuries he suffered in prison.

Forde-John granted bail to Mohammed in the sum of $200,000 to cover the four charges and ordered him to report three times weekly to the San Fernando Police Station.

He is to reappear on March 17 along with Sadiq and Basdeo.

The contention is made in a pre-action protocol letter which principal Joy Arjoon-Singh served on Doodhai on Monday and which her attorneys called on him to retract the statement and pay compensation or answer to a lawsuit.

Arjoon-Singh’s attorneys Roopnarine & Company, sent the pre-action letter in which it referred to the TTUTA president’s press conference held in Curepe and which allegedly mentioned the purchase by the school, of 16 cameras which cost $87,000. Allegations were also made, the letter stated, about the manner in which the tendering process was conducted in relation to three companies that were asked to purchase the cameras. Reference was also made to the expenditure for upgrade of a lawn tennis court at the school to the tune of $50,000.

The pre-action letter referred to a call that was allegedly made by TTUTA for the Ministry of Education to conduct an investigation into the purchase and that the only way for it to be done independently, is to have Arjoon-Singh removed from the school as principal. She views the statement as slanderous as well as TTUTA’s calls for an investigation into the upgrade of the school’s gym. The principal contended that the remarks relating to allegations made against her, were posted on Facebook and on YouTube. Her attorneys copied the letter to Minister of Education Anthony Garcia in which they stated that the words spoken gave the impression that Arjoon-Singh had misappropriated public funds and had committed a criminal action.

It calls for an immediate retraction and public apology to the principal and for payment to her of a reasonable sum as compensation within 21 days.

Newsday understands that at about 3.45 pm yesterday, the fire started at the third floor of the Ministry of Social Development building. PCs Roberts and Stewart of the Port of Spain Division were writing the ticket when someone ran up to them in a panic informing them that the building was on fire.

The officers immediately cancelled the ticket and ran to the building. They announced that there was a fire and ordered the occupants to get out. They then radioed to their base and reported the fire.

Fire officers from the Wrightson Road Fire Station responded to the report and managed to contain the blaze.

While investigators are still trying to ascertain the source of the fire, workers said they believed that the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault.

“We got the scent and then the electricity started to short out,” said one worker. But we managed to get everyone out of the building.

I have to commend the Fire Service because they responded very quickly.”