Company denies authorising man to rent out Petrotrin bungalows

The MORVANT Construction Company Ltd is distancing itself from claims it gave a “landlord” permission to rent out the Petrotrin bungalows in Clifton Hill, Point Fortin.

On Wednesday last week, several families were evicted after police told them they were illegally occupying houses controlled by Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd.

The man, Andrea Anarsalam, was arrested and taken to the Guapo Police Station, and subsequently transferred to the Point Fortin station, then Santa Flora. He was not charged and was released the following night.

Anarsalam told Newsday police interviewed him several times. He claims they have been harassing him for years.

He also claims to be an “agent of the company,” assigned to the Point Fortin area.

A document he provided, allegedly signed by the construction company’s owner Errol Nelson Simon, purports to authorise him to “enforce a High Court order between (a woman) and Morvant Building Construction Company Ltd to establish boundaries of property detailed in High Court order claim; to collect all monies due and owing for its lands forthwith detailed in the High Court order.”

This was dated April 10, 2013.

He claims Petrotrin’s lease for the land expired in 1991, and that in 2013, the company gained legal possession.

In 1993, Petrotrin secured a vesting order for the land
– which allows for transferring its ownership without conveyance. But another document showed an attorney saying the term “vesting act” is “vague, incorrect, misleading and merits legal inquiry.”

But on the construction company’s website, there is a notice saying the attorney in question “is not authorised to conduct any business on behalf of the company.”

Also, in 2017, Petrotrin issued a release saying it “has not given any authority, legal or otherwise to Morvant Building Construction Company Ltd or to any of its associates, employees and/or agents to collect rents; grant permissions or otherwise conduct any business on behalf of Petrotrin, or enforce any rights of possession or ownership of occupation in respect of any areas where Petrotrin has freehold or leasehold title to land or any rights to operate on lands.”

Simon, the company's owner, said Anarsalam was indeed hired in 2015 but was appointed to deal with land in Claxton Bay, and no one was given authorisation to handle land in Point Fortin.

He also said Anarsalam stopped working for the company in 2017.

“The government owns down there as far as I am concerned," he said. "As far as I am concerned, Petrotrin, Paria Fuel, Trintoc – they have possession of these things.”

He said some of the people who were evicted also called the company and he explained the “unfortunate situation” to them.

Asked about this, Anarsalam said as far as he is aware he is “gainfully employed” with the company, despite having never been paid.

He said he has not received any documentation indicating he was fired and does not understand why Simon is saying that.

Anarsalam also showed Newsday a document written by his attorney, sent to Simon, saying there was no discussion of Anarsalam’s authority being revoked.

The attorney called for a meeting between the two to “resolve these unfortunate circumstances.”

Asked what the buildings will now be used for, Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd chairman Michael Quamina told Newsday, "The properties are being further secured and monitored and are currently the subject matter of discussion with the shareholder to determine how best to utilise these assets."