Moonilal: Oil scandals ‘down the drain’

THE internal auditors of Petrotrin who had revealed the alleged theft of gasoline by trucks with secret compartments are now among staff being laid off from the state oil company, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has said. “All these people have lost their jobs. The witness is gone.”

He spoke in the House of Representatives on Wednesday in the bill to vest Petrotrin’s assets in its successor companies.

Moonilal said no one remains at Petrotrin to support any probe into the “fake oil” scandal of AV Drilling, or the Boodoosingh trucking scandal, and it is legitimate to ask if this loss of key staff had been a deciding factor in Petrotrin’s closure.

Saying the AV Drilling scandal was worth $100 million, he challenged claims by Stuart Young, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, that these two matters could still be probed when Petrotrin continues as a company.

“Who are the witnesses? Who are the people you will depend on for evidence, for information, for documents?

“I can tell you, the people who will be needed to prosecute in any civil or any criminal matter, they all received their papers to go home.”

He said those individuals are now looking for new jobs, here or abroad.

“Do you think somebody in the labour market looking for employment, whether in the four companies you set up or outside, will have the time, commitment or interest in following a matter for civil or criminal prosecution?

“So the chances are that AV Drilling and all that matter went down the drain.”

Likewise any probe of the Boodoosingh scandal, he added.

“Imagine, an internal auditor has an application in at Paria Trading, and then you expect them to go and talk against Petrotrin or somebody who is related to somebody or a friend of somebody in high office? Who’s doing that?”

He said it is a moot point to say Petrotrin will continue.

“There will be no flesh and bodies to support any investigation, civil or criminal, into AV Drilling or the Boodoosingh scandal.”

Adding to his suspicions over the closure was the fact that neither Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet nor the Kinsey, Solomon or Lashley Reports had ever advised shutting Petrotrin. Moonilal said MSJ head David Abdulah had testified in court that the closure was a “con job” to ruin Petrotrin’s image to prompt its closure, and had said three years of non-payment of taxes did not amount to Petrotrin being in default.

Attesting to the former Petrotrin’s good prospects, the MP said in 2015 it could get a loan without a government guarantee due to faith in it by the international financial community.

Querying the list of Petrotrin’s assets stated in the vesting bill, he quipped that the map of Petrotrin’s real estate was “like a colouring book, you cannot understand.” Moonilal said Petrotrin also owns properties such as houses, bungalows, offices and a golf course, seemingly not listed in the bill.

He described the world gas to liquids (WGTL) scandal as a model that must never be followed but which he likened to the proposed Sandals project.

“I put it to you, Sandals Scandal is a WGTL in the making. It’s the same thing, having partner and inviting a billion-dollar investment.”

He said WGTL had promised technical know-how, designs and materials but the TT Government had to provide the funds, and at the end the Government had to pay all for the failed project.

Moonilal contrasted the mass retrenchment at Petrotrin to the hiring of a highly-paid new CEO for Heritage Petroleum Company, Mike Wylie.

“Could you imagine the obscenity of telling someone you have to lose your job, but then you hire someone for $240,000 (amonth)?"

Saying some ex-workers are going home with just $86,000, he asked how far that could take them. Some had worked 15 or 20 years but fell short of the requisite number of days worked and so will get nothing in severance. He asked if any Petrotrin ex-worker has been hired into any successor firm.

Claiming geopolitical risks of shipping in the region, he said timeliness is not guaranteed for fuel imports into TT.

“TT today is like any Caricom nation that did not have an energy sector. We are energy-dependent.”