Smith keen to move forward after SporTT firings

Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith is looking to the future following the firing of five Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago employees on Thursday.

CEO Adam Monsterin, Facility Manager Anthony Blake, Jeewan Kowlessar, Naveen Maraj, and Mellie Price were all dismissed following the completion of a forensic audit conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The five were among eight SporTT employees who were sent on administrative leave four months ago.

Contacted yesterday, Smith refused to comment on the firings, but is keen to chart the way forward.

“It is a Sport Company matter and the investigation was done by the Attorney General’s office. We are supposed to meet next week, the chairman (of SporTT Dinanath Ramnarine) and I will go through the (audit) report and see what is the way forward,” he said.

Smith said discussions will continue concerning the creation of a Sport Commission, which will replace the Sport Company of TT next year.

A Sport Company press release yesterday sought to offer more clarity on the firings of their employees but stressed they “were dismissed in accordance with the terms of their respective contracts of employment.”

The release stated, “The investigations and forensic work thus far have provided evidence...SporTT, acting on the basis of independent legal advice, has terminated certain employees. These employees were interviewed prior to their dismissals.”