Wade Mark questions three bids on refinery

OPPOSITION Senator Wade Mark alleged Indian steel tycoon Naveen Jindal was indirectly linked to one of the three firms short-listed to bid on the oil refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre, speaking on the first day of the budget debate in the Senate on October 21.

He raised question over all three firms, suggesting one may be subject to a US embargo and that another was not properly registered.

"We are calling on the government to scrap that entire process!" he stormed of the ongoing refinery tender.

"When we checked the registry to get information on these three companies we realised that CRO Consortium is made up of three locally-incorporated companies, one called Ocala, the other is DR Commodities and Chemie-Tech.

"What we found interesting is when we did a search for 'CRO Consortium', it yielded no results."

Mark said the result meant CRO Consortium was allegedly not legally-incorporated under the laws of TT.

"If this company is not legally-incorporated under the laws of TT, how come this company was short-listed by the Cabinet."

Mark alleged all three bidders were suspicious.

"You know DR Commodities was former DR Logistics. But when we searched (for) DR Commodities, it is the parent company of this local company but it is based in India. And when we searched the Indian company we realised (that) on the board of directors were two associates and family members of Jindal. That is what we are seeing." Mark said the current tender should be scrapped.

"What is even more important is a Venezuelan company engaged in oil and gas. It is a holdings company that is sanctioned by the United States.

"How come this government is short-listing a company that is sanctioned by the US to take over our Pointe-a-Pierre refinery?"

Mark then spoke cryptically, "Mr President you know what has happened? Jindal went through the front door and came thought the back door."

"So we want the government to scrap that entire project. It is too corrupt and the government must answer. In fact we need a forensic investigation into this entire transaction. Mark also used the opportunity to ask if the government would sell the Port Authority, First Citizens Bank (FCB), NP and TSTT.

Mark earlier challenged Finance Minister Colm Imbert's claims that TT had healthy economic indicators. He said under the Government had presided over a decade of despair, death, decay and decimation. He said in terms of real GDP, that is adjusted for inflation, TT's GDP had contracted by 19 per cent from 2015 to 2024.

Mark alleged scarce foreign exchange, runaway food prices and spiking crime. He lamented "the working poor" including some public servants now surviving on 2013 wages in the year 2024.

"Unemployment among youths is rising." The cost of basic food items has become significantly higher, Mark said.

He contrasted Imbert just saying TT was now in "a very difficult place" to the minister also recently telling the House of Representatives, "The rain has stopped."