Former PM Panday on end to corruption case: An 18-year burden

FORMER prime minister Basdeo Panday says now that the Piarco airport corruption charges against him have been dropped, he will have to "reconstitute my life."

He was responding on Monday hours after Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard, SC, told a Port of Spain magistrate he was discontinuing the charges against Panday, his wife Oma, one-time UNC financier Ishwar Galbaransingh and former UNC government minister Carlos John.

Speaking during an interview with Caribbean Lifestyle Communications (Music Radio 97FM, Radio 90.5FM and Heartbeat Radio 104.1FM) – a copy of which CL Communications sent to Newsday – Panday said:

"This has been a burden, hanging upon my shoulders and my whole personality for some 18 years. Now that it is over, I have to reconstitute my life. Ahm, I suppose this was a political prosecution. It seems that they cannot forgive me for building the finest airport in the Caribbean."

John and Galbaransingh, when contacted by Newsday, gave contrasting reactions to the end of the case in which they, Panday and his wife were charged with corruption relating to the $1.6 billion Piarco airport terminal construction project.

On Monday, before magistrate Adia Mohammed, Gaspard made the bombshell announcement that he was discontinuing the charges against the four.

When contacted, John said, “I’m certainly relieved,” adding that “the system also requires a review, if not an overhaul.”

When Newsday made its own attempts to reach the Pandays by cellphone and at home, there was no answer. One of their lawyers – who said he could not speak on their behalf – said the couple intend to issue a statement “in due course.” Up to press time on Monday night, no statement was forthcoming.

'POLITICAL PERSECUTION'

For his part, an "elated" Galbaransingh had some strong words for former attorney general John Jeremie, SC, who held office when the charges against the four were laid.

He referred to the June 2022 ruling of the Privy Council, in which five British law lords said the committal of the accused in the Piarco 1 inquiry, by deceased former chief magistrate Sherman McNicolls on a slew of fraud and corruption-related offences, was tainted by apparent political bias.

The law lords said McNicolls was “hopelessly compromised” by assistance from Jeremie on a land purchase. Galbaransingh said he was relieved the "truth" had surfaced after so many years.

He maintained the charges were a "politically-motivated persecution." He accused Jeremie and the PNM of creating "innuendo for political gain."

"It has been their mantra for the last 20 years to brand the UNC as corrupted," said Galbaransingh, who at one time was said to be a UNC financier. He bemoaned the effect the 18-year-old case had had on him, his business and his family.

"I suffered losses in all my businesses. It (the charges) were like a guillotine over my head. The emotional aspect of this was difficult for my wife, children and myself." With the Privy Council having ruled on the committal in the Piarco 1 matter, Galbaransingh said he is confident the same will take place in the Piarco 2 prosecution, with charges being dropped.

"I am confident the same will happen in that matter since there is no evidence of wrongdoing in the airport project." He is not involved in the multi-million-dollar forfeiture case in Miami, which began on Monday. Galbaransingh said as the main contractor on the project, he was never linked to that matter.

In all, there are four related inquiries, none of which has gone to trial. They were considered to be the biggest corruption case in TT’s history, with allegations of corruption, bid-rigging, kickbacks, bid inflation, political interference and fraud.

Panday was at the time, prime minister of a United National Congress Cabinet (1995-2001), which in September 1996, appointed a task force to expedite the airport project. Galbaransingh was a member of that task force and John was minister of works.

The charges were laid during the People's National Movement (PNM) administration by then-acting Insp John Telesford. Since then, there have been multiple legal challenges in all the cases, a commission of inquiry and an investigation by a forensic financial expert.

INVESTIGATIONS AND AN INQUEST

A 1997 report by retired Justice Lennox Deyalsingh revealed that a main contractor on the project was guilty of unethical conduct and called for an end to the contracts that had been awarded. They were not.

Three years later, Canadian financial forensic investigator Robert Lindquist was appointed to investigate the project by then-attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, who was fired from the UNC Cabinet in 2001.

Lindquist’s website says an interim report was delivered two months before the general election on December 2000. The UNC won and his investigation did not continue.

Maharaj and two other ministers resigned from the Cabinet over the inability to obtain funds for the Anti-Corruption Unit to continue this investigation, the website said, and a new election was called in December 2001, which resulted in an 18/18 deadlock.

The PNM’s Patrick Manning was selected to become prime minister and Lindquist was asked to return and resume his investigation.

His report allegedly uncovered 11 schemes outlined as price-fixing and bid-rigging, duplicate contract payments, false invoicing, defective pricing, co-mingling of contracts, conflict of interest, false representation, improper release of confidential information, product substitutes, tailored specifications and time limitations.

In 2007, three US-based consultants and engineers on the project pleaded guilty to fraud-related charges and sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to six years. They also agreed to pay US$4 million each in compensation to TT.

In 2002, retired Chief Justice Clinton Bernard was selected to lead a commission of inquiry and a final report was delivered to former president George Maxwell Richards on August 31, 2003. Its findings have never been made public. Both Bernard and Richards have since died.