Nyree Alfonso trial set for March

A lawsuit filed by the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs and the Port Authority against attorney Nyree Alfonso, Intercontinental Shipping Ltd (ISL) and its owner John Powell will be ventilated in court next year.

At a news conference held by the Polygraph Committee in Port of Spain on Wednesday, Alfonso said the matter was set for trial next March.

Saying she could not speak in detail about it because it was sub judice, Alfonso said it was going to trial because the court rejected a request for a summary judgement to be entered against her, ISL and Powell.

In a written decision last week, Justice Joan Charles said the facts relative to the AG and the authority's claim against Alfonso, ISL and Powell could only be resolved at trial.

The AG and the authority, the claimants in the case, filed an application for summary judgement on January 10.

The lawsuit filed against the three seeks damages for an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by Alfonso while she was working for the Port Authority as an adviser to help source a vessel to replace the Warrior Spirit on the inter-island seabridge.

The claim against her is that she reviewed the case for terminating the authority’s arrangements for the Government Shipping Service with the owners of the MV Warrior Spirit and identified the MV Superfast Galicia as the preferred replacement. It is also alleged that while Alfonso was working for the port, she appointed Intercontinental Shipping Ltd as her agent to tender for the contract.

ISL, the agents for the Superfast Galicia, won the bid.

The claim alleged Alfonso benefited financially from the $148 million paid to Intercontinental for the Galicia.

Alfonso was optimistic that she would be vindicated.

She reiterated her concerns about the vessels procured by Government for the domestic seabridge. Noting the TT Spirit will soon be going on dry dock for its scheduled maintenance, Alfonso wondered whether the Galleons Passage, Jean De La Valette and the Cabo Star would be up to handling the seabridge.