The PTSC executives appeared before the committee at the J. Hamilton Maurice Meeting Room of the Parliament Building, Tower D at the International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, to answer questions arising from a special audit of the corporation done by the Auditor General’s Department.

In response to questioning from committee members, PTSC Chairman Edwin Gooding said it would take some time before the corporation could produce a profit. He said the more immediate objective of the company is to slowly wean itself off the Government subventions on which it currently depends, get new buses and improve service on its routes.

In fact, Gooding said he does not see the PTSC making a profit in the near future although he said that by the end of 2017 it will be poised to begin its turnaround.

Gooding said some of the realities pointed out by the audit were reducing passenger loads and resulting falling revenues; increasing cost of operation; reducing number of buses; inadequate fleet availability and inability to service all its established routes. He said many of the corrective measures have already been put into effect and will be key elements in the PTSC’s 2017 to 2019 Strategic Plan.

He said he was heartened that the corporation’s financial statements up to and including 2015 had already been submitted to the Auditor General’s department for its review.

Assistant Auditor General, Jaiwantie Ramdass told the committee that a special audit was called for because government subventions totalling a quarter billion dollars a year went to the PTSC to cover recurrent expenditure; that in 2010, 12.5 million passengers travelled on PTSC buses indicating that the corporation had an impact on a lot of people although she said ridership declined to 7.6 million in 2014.

The car dealer is the owner of another lamborghini.

It is alleged that the dealer corruptly used someone living in the United States to bring in the lamborghini on the pretext that he was a returning national.

Under the Customs Act, a returning national can bring in any vehicle owned by that person and be exempted from exorbitant duties.

Investigations by Police and Customs revealed that the returning national left the country after delivering the lamborghini to the car dealer which resulted in the vehicle being seized.

Newsday also understands the three other high end vehicles which were also brought into the country and which were also exempted from duties were also seized.

An investigation has now been launched to ascertain how certain vehicles were cleared by Customs and Excise without the proper documents and FIB officers are probing how the car dealer was able to import a number of vehicles into the country by making cash payments with US currency and with no paper trail to show how he came into possession of those monies.

In an unrelated matter, Senior Customs and Excise officers have begun a probe into the presence of five Customs and Excise officers at a Siparia hotel two Fridays ago during a police raid of the establishment.

According to reports, a joint team of Police and immigration officers raided a Siparia hotel in which several foreign nationals believed to be Venezuelans were found. The five Customs and Excise officers were questioned about their presence at the hotel and they allegedly began abusing officers claiming that they had every right to be there and provided their identification to the raiding officers during the exercise.

The five officers were allowed to leave without facing any prosecution but the matter was reported to Customs and Excise which has now launched an internal investigation into the matter.

Mohammed pleaded guilty before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court, to three charges.

One charge alleged that on August 16, 2016 at Debe Village near Penal, he stole $6,500 from Sunil Jairajsingh. And on same day and place, he stole $3,500 from Gary Persad and $3,500 from Darin Ganess.

The charges arose from the taking of the monies, the court police prosecutor attorney Cleyon Seedan told the court, from the victims and promises made to them that the monies would go towards downpayments for vehicles.

Forde-John fined Mohammed $3,500 on each of the three charges. The magistrate also read more charges that he took $24,500 from Dave Seepersad in Siparia, and, $53,000 and $4,000 from Kevin Mangoo and Mahadeo Geewar respectively in Couva.

The charge relating to the Siparia matter was transferred for today in the Siparia Magistrates’ court and the two in the Couva district, were transferred to Monday in the Couva Magistrates’ Court. A fourth charge which alleged that Mohammed took $10,000 from Vanessa Sookai, in Chaguanas, was also read to Mohammed and that case was transferred to the Chaguanas court for Monday as well.

Mohammed was remanded into custody. The charges stemmed from investigations conducted by the Fraud Squad headed by Senior Supt of Police Totaram Dookie, Cpl Darwin Badree, Ag Cpl Shane Ramdath and PC Brandon Solzano.

According to reports, at 9.45 am Task Force officers were summoned to a shop in Mt D’Or where the suspect who identified himself as ‘Rishi Lakhan’, was caught red-handed breaking into the shop. He was detained and taken to St Joseph police station to await charges. At 10 am, when officers went to check on him, the man was found hanging from the cell door.

Lakhan used his pants to hang himself. District Medical Officer Dr Ramroop was summoned and ordered the body removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for autopsy. Police told Newsday that Lakhan had no form of identification on him and they yesterday issued a call for his relatives to contact the St Joseph police so he could be formally identified to facilitate the autopsy. Investigations are continuing.

According to reports, officers of the Manzanilla police station received a report that a body was seen on the beach near Calypso Road.

A party of officers led by Superintendent Phillip and including Inspector Ken Lutchman, Sgt Ogiste, Cpl Narine, PCs West, Henry and others along with District Medical Officer Dr Prince, visited the scene and the body was ordered removed to the Forensic Science Centre.

Newsday understands that the body was clad in a white vest and cream-coloured three-quarter pants.

Once proper identification is made, an autopsy will be done at the Centre in St James. The body was said to be in an advanced state of decomposition.

The man, identified as Gabriel King from Enterprise in Chaguanas was to have been shot multiple times.

According to police sources, gunshots were heard at about 2.30 pm yesterday on Dass Street in Enterprise.

When residents checked, they found King lying in a pool of blood. Police and emergency services were alerted and a party of officers from the Central Division Police Service responded, but by the time officers arrived, King was dead.

Homicide detectives are trying to ascertain a motive behind the man’s murder.

An autopsy is expected to be done at the Forensic Science Centre in St James today.

King’s murder is the 63rd for the year.

According to reports, at about 8.10 pm Jesreel Joseph was walking along the pavement when he saw a man walking in the opposite direction with whom he had a previous altercation. According to reports, Joseph extended his hands to the man who instead pulled out a .22 pistol and shot him in the stomach.

As Joseph slumped to the ground, the man fled the scene and threw away the pistol while he was running.

A party of officers from the Portof- Spain CID led by Sgt Anthony Williams responded to a report of the shooting and Joseph was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was treated and warded.

Officers carried out a search for the weapon used in the shooting and found it near to where Joseph was attacked. A suspect has since been arrested and is assisting officers in their investigations.

Mohammed was speaking at the official opening of the Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL)/Flow 2017 cricket season at the National Cricket Centre in Couva, yesterday.

The three-year partnership between SSCL and Flow, will focus on girls cricket from Form One to Three, and also boys cricket in Forms One and Two.

Mohammed, who attended the launch with fellow West Indies cricketers Merissa Aguilleira and Britney Cooper, told the students to capitalise on the opportunity.

Mohammed said, “I am very honoured to be here on this historic day. Girls playing hard ball at secondary school, who would have thought? Merissa, Britney, we played soft ball (tennis ball) cricket.

If we weren’t tough, it would have been hard for us to move on to national cricket, so you all are very fortunate to be able to play hard ball cricket at secondary school, so well done to Flow.” Powergen has been a sponsor of the SSCL for the past 21 years, and president of the SSCL Surujdath Mahabir is challenging Flow to be long term partners also.

Mahabir said, “Flow is with us for the first time, as everyone knows we have been with Powergen for 21 years and the Secondary Schools League is 54 years old. We have asked Flow, being on board with us for three years, we want to challenge them to be with us for another 21 years as we seek to build girls cricket. The focus for the Flow programme will be on girls hard ball cricket.” Mahabir added, “What we are trying to do with this programme is to reach out to entire Trinidad and Tobago, find new talent, develop new talent, who will later go on to represent our zonal team and our national team.” Director of communications and stakeholder relations at Flow Trudy De Verteuil, said that the company plans to be involved with the SSCL for a long time. De Verteuil said, “As a sponsor we are now starting, but we are far from finished and you (students) are far from finished. Every single one of you sitting here in front of me and every single one of you involved in the Secondary School Cricket League, you are far from finished.

Our job is to invest in you, to support you and to help you achieve your dreams, because when you achieve your dreams, we achieve our objectives.” Aguilleira also spoke to the youngsters, pleading with them to listen to their parents and elders, saying it will help them live positive lifestyles.

The opening was followed by a number of exhibition games, culminating with the Girls T20 North versus South Classic. North defeated South by nine wickets.

Some of the schools that attended the launch were Success Laventille, Queen’s Royal College, Holy Name, Fatima, San Juan North, Barataria South, Cunupia High, Holy Faith Convent, St Benedict’s, Rio Claro West and Cowen Hamilton.

The initiative, which has been held since 2005, will benefit boys and girls in five age groups (7-9, 9-11, 11- 12, 13-15 and 15-17) with 16 sessions every Friday until May. The sessions will be conducted from 4 pm to 6 pm and will be supervised by the experienced and watchful guidance of club coach Dasrath Maharaj. Assisting him are former national cricketers Mukesh Persad and Mahadeo Bodoe, along with Usha Persad.

Clarke Road United have a long and well-documented history of success in youth development, producing numerous players who have gone on to represent Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the West Indies teams.

The weekly programme will be conducted by the qualified coaches in a safe environment where the budding cricketers will also be involved in competitive matches to test their skills and gauge their progress.

Clarke Road officials are encouraging all parents and guardians to have their children participate in this healthy and beneficial initiative. Sessions are open to the public.

Clarke Road boats one of the strongest youth systems in the country with a proliferation of top national players coming through their programme.

The club will also be soon undertaking an Under-16 tour of Guyana over the Carnival period.

Teams such as Miscellaneous Laventille United, which campaign in the Northern Football Association Premier Division, St Barb’s, Troumacaque, Brooklyn, Despers, Crecent, Gonzales, Sogren Trace, Mentor Alley and The Trace are all engaged in matches, which are played three days weekly with double headers under lights at the venue. Crowds estimated between 400 to 500 have attended games on each matchday so far.

The teams are competing for prizes worth $10,000, plus possible selection on the Laventille United first team to appear in the Northern FA Premier Division this year.

The fourth double header since the start on January 29, took place last Saturday with Laventille United going on a goal spree with a 7-0 victory over St Barbs, while Mentor Alley got past Gonzales 4-0.

For Laventille, Lyndon Ferguson notched a hat-trick, while Leon Roberts struck twice and Nickomi Griffith and Qualanson Archibald score a goal each.

Keston Hewitt, Kareem Baptiste, Akeel Jack and Nickomi Griffith got the goals for Mentor Alley.

Prior to Saturday’s double header, an Under-12 match comprising players from the Laventille United Academy also took place at Sogren Trace Grounds.

Former national youth team coach Ken Elie is the technical director for Laventille United. He is also using the tournament to scout for possible new additions to the Laventille team for their NFA Premier Division campaign this year. Miscellaneous, partnering with the Hearts and Minds Programme, hosted a previous tournament at the St Paul Street Recreation Ground in August/ September, from which players were used to form the Miscellaneous Laventille United team.

“The power of one is effective in Sogren Trace.

The founder of Laventille United is Cedric Hazelwood and his ideas for Laventille have brought us here for this occasion,” Elie said on Saturday.

“This is what we will like to see in every community in Trinidad and Tobago. We have kids from two year olds straight up to parents and grandparents at the group supporting football. The community is alive and well.

There are so many other things these people could be doing at this time but they are here supporting the football and persons from what was once gangs rivalling each other are here to support the games. Football has a life of its own and this is what it does for a community,” Elie, a member of the TT Defence Force, added.