THA Chief Sec on audio clip controversy: PLOT TO BLACKMAIL

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has alleged that his administration is the target of “a blackmail campaign” linked to a prominent local contractor.

Augustine held what he called a public briefing on Friday to respond to the controversial voice recording in which two people, believed to be THA officials, discussed using public funds to hire people to carry out propaganda on social media.

The briefing came 23 days after the recording first went public.

In the highly anticipated, 90-minute, pre-recorded presentation, Augustine claimed the audio clip was an old recording, noting that it was leaked at a closed-door strategy session.

“They very well know the nature of these conversations,” he said.

“There are two reasons, in the first instance when you have an executive, you have to explore all strategies, including those utilised by your opponents, all. Let’s be real, the strategy of bringing people in who live on Facebook and do work for you, that has been explored before us. Show me how much people we hired to do that work.”

He added: “Evidently, it was discussed and evidently it wasn’t executed as discussed, which clearly shows that this is a government that is working. You discuss all strategies – the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the indifference everything – and there is a reason why Cabinet meetings are protected by law.”

Augustine, flanked by members of the THA executive, said there were reasons why the discussion of an executive is also protected by law.

“You’re expected to have these raw conversations, that is not expected to be heard anywhere.”

He blamed Progressive Democratic Patriots political leader and former deputy chief secretary Watson Duke, his former colleague, for the leak. He also linked it to the PNM.

“I very well believe that he is the source of this leak. I’m not sure what he hopes to achieve, but I can very well tell you that he was one that attempted to get me to pay the (contractor named) money. In fact, that was perhaps the last meeting that we had prior to his departure to New York where he infamously excommunicated himself from the executive. But he is a part of it.”

He claimed a contractor has been threatening him for payments owed by the THA.

Outlining a number of projects completed by the contractor and paid for, he shared screenshots of WhatsApp messages allegedly sent by the contractor, in which he alleged there were attempts at extortion.

“Of course, some people believe that the State purse belongs to them alone and so you must not be owed any money at all, others could wait till eternity, sue the THA for the money and when you decide you want the money you have to get it or else, you would threaten all sort of stuff.

He added: “To date, my government has paid (contractor name called) for $25.2 million and I am certain if I check carefully no other contractor in the Tobago space, no other contractor that operated in the Tobago space even if they came here from Trinidad has received any payment close to $25.2 million.

“So in fact the contractor who has received the largest payout from this government is the one attempting to extort more monies from the THA.”

He claimed the contractor was seeking an additional $47 million.

He said when one asks what is the real motive for trying to extort the assembly, there is none as the team has been extremely fair in their process.

He claimed the contractor is “desperately trying to see if he could find a way to make us close our eyes and just give instructions to the public servant and pay him his money.”

Augustine also claimed that, last year, there were threats made to his life, the security of his family and members of his team and supporters.

Augustine revealed that earlier this year, two police officers also told him that there were plots that could be detrimental to his life.

“I am convinced now that all of this is part of a larger plot to destabilise because the government chose to take a campaign against corruption. Me ain’t care what else they have and who tape they have and on what they have on those tapes.”

He said the entire team is entitled to personal staff; they are not interviewed as they are selected by the person holding the office. He said they are all given a quota of $20,000 per month to hire as much staff as they need.

“We could hire loyalists to sit down on facebook all day and fight up with fake profiles if we want because they are our personal staff. Who must I hire for a personal staff – somebody who isn’t loyal to me or to my office, or to the team so that they could leak things so that the office can be compromised?”

He said one of the key requirements for personal staff must be loyalty and trust.

Augustine added: “Tobago, your island is at stake and the fight you though you won in the election in 2021 is not over, you still have to fight on. Today, we stand here together as we have stood on many occasions like this, I say to you – do not give up the fight. Don’t make them win, don’t make evil win.”

Newsday contacted the contractor, who said: “All allegations made against myself and our company are totally false and we will most definitely be taking full legal action against the chief on this matter.”

He added: “I am in fact happy that he has now come out into the public space and made his statements instead of ​​hiding in the house sittings. I can now take the appropriate steps. We are in no way his escape from his alleged criminal actions.”

Duke has also advised Augustine to prepare for court.

“If you believe that I have leaked the tape, I will give you a date in court. You should have plenty, plenty clothes to answer to that,” he said in a video on his Facebook page shortly after Augustine’s presentation.

“So you can expect, very soon a letter from my lawyer so you could produce evidence that I taped your meeting.”

The Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau and the Integrity Commission are investigating the audio clip to determine if an offence was committed.