FOLLOW THE MONEY

FOLLOW the money.

This was the advice to government by Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, who during his contribution to the budget debate in the House, alleged a “tangled web” involving money wire transfers, clandestine meetings and secret signing of documents all having to do with the sale of the refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre to the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU).

Moonilal said he found a paper trail showing foul play in the acquisition of the Petrotrin refinery by the OWTU’s holding company Patriotic Energies and Technologies Co Ltd. He said he had printouts of banking co-ordinates to be sent, who it was to be sent to and what was to be wired.

Moonilal said he had a copy of an e-mail from one David Goldberg to vidyadeokiesingh@yahoo.com sent on February 23, 2019, at 1.19 pm. Goldberg is an attorney in Maryland, United States. Deokiesingh is a former Petrotrin employee named in an internal audit into the AV Drilling Co Ltd fake oil scandal. He is a former PNM candidate for Siparia and a close friend of Prime Minister Dr Rowley.

Moonilal read from a document: “Dear Mr Deokiesingh, attached please find a copy of a receipt of outgoing wire transfer to Formula 1 Trading in the sum of US550,000. Thank you for your co-operation. If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. It is David Goldberg...dsgoldberg112@gmail.com.”

“The wire transfer speaks to this money being deposited in an account for Formula 1 in Georgetown, Guyana, where they operate and they have all the information concerning that, including additional instructions and beneficiaries. The beneficiaries, if known to you, will blow your top! It is a Wells Fargo account,” Moonilal said to a chorus of “oooohs” and “aaaaahs” from the Opposition bench.

ANOTHER TRANSFER

Moonilal said there was another transfer of US$3.5 million on February 23, 2015. The e-mail for that transaction was copied to edcain 443@gmail.com. “Who is Ed Cain? Who he? Ed Cain is a player, like a lobbyist almost, working with Mr Deokiesingh. Whether the projects are the trading in fuel, whether they are involving different companies, they operate in the US, Guyana and Suriname. “When I was in Holland I learned a little Dutch so they couldn’t escape me. One of the things they do is to use another language. Ed Cain is known to Mr Deokiesingh and they have been involved in trading and so on. They work together. Formula 1 is a real company, there is a wire transfer here. I assure members you cannot hide these things.” Moonilal said the Opposition has a serious duty to conduct their business on behalf of the country without fear or favour and will not keep quiet. He said the refinery belongs to the people of TT. He said the Opposition did not want the OWTU to fail in this venture but wants them to succeed. However, he insisted, the government has questions to answer on how the deal went down.

ENTER SUNSTONE

He then named SunStone Equity as being a major player in the scheme. This company, Moonilal said, operates out of Suriname and was identified early as a private investment firm to help in the bids for the refinery.

“This company is operating out of a building in Suriname that is a lodge, like an inn. The principal is John Van Dyke, a Dutch-Canadian. He is a political economist writer. This person is behind SunStone who we suspect will get US$700 million to purchase a refinery. That is a serious scandal about to happen,” Moonilal told the House.

SunStone was registered on September 17, 2015 and operationalised on January 18, 2018. This, he said, is the company providing financial support for a multi-billion-dollar bid for the refinery.

“Would you believe Mr John Van Dyke visited TT? He was here, but how he came here? Who brought him here? Mr John Van Dyke came to Trinidad to find and be in the company of one Mr Vidya Deokiesingh. Mr Deokiesingh brought him here to have meetings concerning business with stakeholders visiting a contractor in Penal.

SIGNING PHOTOS

“I have in my hand pictures. In an office or somebody’s home, there are three persons signing documents here and two persons are very clear. One is bearing a striking resemblance to David Abdulah, Mr Ancel Roget and the third person has been identified as Mr John Van Dyke.

“I call on the players to indicate to the public when did this meeting take place. Where did this meeting take place? How this meeting take place? Why this meeting took place? What are they signing and could I ask them to confirm indeed (if) Mr Vidya Deokiesingh took the picture. We cannot take light that the Finance Minister said the only company willing to pay cash up front was Patriotic. Were they paid cash from SunStone?” Moonilal said the material he held and quoted from is available on the internet for everyone to see. He questioned whether this was some backhand way for people accused of fake oil and other offences to now claim the refinery, after taxpayers put US$11 billion into said refinery.