Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young says files of interest were removed from WASA’s St Joseph office at the weekend but they were retrieved by the authorities.
He said so in a news briefing at the Parliament yesterday afternoon following the early morning re-ignition of the fire at the utilities St Joseph head office yesterday morning.
Stressing the files were “of interest” as the audit being conducted at WASA was very “broad-reaching.”
He said a very strict process and procedure was implemented with respect to the removal of any item at WASA in the wake of the probe.
He said he went to the WASA office in St Joseph yesterday “to get a hands-on appreciation of what is taking place.” He said he met with the WASA chairman and the acting CEO “to express support and to understand first hand the progress of on-going investigations and audit. An audit was commissioned by the new board of WASA
He said the Government was working assiduously to ensure the protection of WASA property, that proper investigations are conducted and that the forensic audit is able to take place.
Young said more stringent security measures have been reviewed and it may not be possible for a similar incident to happen again.
He said no one was arrested or charged after the files of interest were recovered. Young said the chairman and the board will have to determine the consequences to be faced by those who removed the files of interest.
The re-ignition of the fire fuelled fears that a second fire had been deliberately set after last Tuesday’s.
But Public Utilities Minister Ancil Antoine confirmed the reignition but stressed: “There was not another fire. The debris from the previous fire reignited.”
Despite Antoine’s claim it was not a new fire, sources at WASA said the Fire Services was contacted around 5 am after a fire began in the Records Department.
The five-storey building has been cordoned off to both staff and members of the public since last week’s fire.
The original blaze was said to have started around 4.45 pm on January 5 at Block B, Building Nine.
This building housed the Corporate Communications Department, the Health and Safety Department and the Records Department.
Checks with the Tunapuna Fire Station yesterday confirmed that a call was received around 5 am prompting tenders from that station, as well as the San Juan Fire Station to rush to the scene.
Fire officials said they were able to put out the blaze quickly but they too attributed it to last week’s fire.
During a phone interview, Antoine said such a reignition was possible despite the four-day lapse since fire officials had last visited the scene on January 6.
Asked if he had received an update on the investigation and if the cause of Tuesday’s fire had yet been determined, Antoine said no.
Warning that WASA has since increased its security internally, Antoine said the authorities were not taking any chances and had sought the assistance of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to protect all the utility’s sub-offices.
During his visit to the St Joseph head office, Young donned a hard hat and was seen accompanying senior company officials on a walk-through of the damaged building. Even as that was taking place, employees gathered in the courtyard, while others were seen removing boxes containing files and equipment from the compound.
A mobile police unit also remained parked in the main car park.
Members of the public attempting to pay their bills were turned away at the front gate and advised to visit other locations to transact business.
It is not known when the head office will be reopened to the public.
Several workers interviewed indicated that they were instructed to visit job-sites and to carry out operations as normal.