Ramdeen: Report supported refinery

NO closure of the Petrotrin refinery was considered in the Solomon Consultants Report, just as in the Lashley Report, said Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen at a briefing at the Leader of the Opposition’s office in Port of Spain.

He said the Lashley Report merely urged Petrotrin be divided into different units, while the Solomon Report laid out an entire plan for more efficiency in its production, marketing and refining. “Let the Minister of Energy (Franklin Khan) deny that,” he challenged.

Ramdeen said the Solomon firm was “put to an end” after it had presented its report. He alleged the Petrotrin board had not been interested in creating viability, but rather in selling off assets to hand-picked people.

“Who are those waiting in the wings to come after Petrotrin’s assets?” he asked. Ramdeen said that not a line in the 500-page Solomon Report had supported the refinery’s closure. “This was a calculated, deliberate, intentional act to sell out the country’s patrimony.” He said Petrotrin has 189,00 acres of land and 810,000 acres of marine acreage.