3 charged for thefts at Heritage Petroleum

TWO brothers from Golconda Settlement, San Fernando are among three men charged with stealing thousands worth of heavy oil equipment from state-owned Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd.

The brothers, aged 29 and 32 and the other man, 21, will appear before a Siparia magistrate today charged with unlawful possession of 19 electrical motors and one generator. They were arrested in the Forest Reserve area on Wednesday night by officers from the Amalgamated Security Services Limited who were on mobile patrol.

A statement from Heritage noted that at 10.30 pm on Wednesday, the officers observed a truck carrying equipment. They stopped the vehicle, questioned the driver and two other occupants and examined the contents. The men could not provide a proper account for the items.

The vehicle and 19 electrical motors and one generator were seized and the three men arrested and taken to the Fyzabad police station along with the confiscated items. Yesterday, they were charged by Estate Constable Williams of Amalgamated.

The company in its release said it is committed to protect its assets. In response, education officer of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) Ozzi Warwick said the union predicted all of this chaos. “I remember our president general Ancel Roget saying this is going to be one of the most unfortunate vindication and most costly vindication because government did not think this thing (closure of Petrotrin) through properly.

“They don’t have proper security. Amalgamated Security has no interest to secure these important assets. When the EPA (Estate Police Association) who was around the oil industry and around its workers for a long time, provided security, there was a personal connection between them and Petrotrin. Petrotrin to them was not just a company. They were part of Petrotrin and made sure they secured the assets.

“What government has in fact done is that they took a decision that placed one of the country’s most important assets into the hands of a private security firm which underpays and exploits it security officers. We predicted this chaos and more to come,” Warwick said.