One-time United National Congress official Ken Emrith whose name has been mentioned in connection with the leaked “Panama Papers” scandal, was employed as a marketing consultant at the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco), under the People’s Partnership administration, when Brazilian firm OAS Construtora was hired by Nidco to construct the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Pt Fortin.
And payments by OAS Construtora to a company linked to Emrith also “seem” to have started when Emrith was still employed at Nidco.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi made those claims in a statement to Parliament yesterday, concerning Emrith.
Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca were passed to a German newspaper and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The documents allegedly tracked offshore holdings of past and present world leaders, sports, business, entertainment and other personalities across the world.
Al-Rawi said: “The identity of the source is unknown but authorities across the world are being spurred into action after the huge leak of confidential documents revealed how tax havens are used to hide wealth...a number of investigations have been launched by French, Austrian, Dutch and Australian authorities among others.
The Prime Minister of Iceland has resigned.”
Noting further revelations on Emrith, Nidco and OAS which he detailed yesterday, Al-Rawi added, “The local issues arising from the Panama Papers are receiving active attention with particular focus on enabling the efforts of requisite lawful investigative and prosecutorial agencies in and outside of T&T.”
Al-Rawi noted allegations which described how Emrith “a former low level party functionary of the UNC used a Panamanian shell company to channel millions of US dollars to offshore bank accounts including a (US)$1m consultancy fee from a convicted Brazilian money launderer connected to Brazil’s Petrobras bribery scandal.
He said leaked files allegedly tracked Emrith’s business dealings through a Panamian-registered shell vehicle, Pendrey Associates Corporation, and his alleged “million dollar connection to OAS.”
OAS was in the running for the Pt Fortin project since the past PNM administration’s tenure and officially came on board to handle it under the past PP government, in July 2011.
Al-Rawi said, “Ken Emrith was a high-ranking candidate for the UNC executive in their recently held internal elections of 2015.”
The reference was to Emrith’s contesting the post of international relations officer on the slate of UNC MP Roodal Moonilal’s leadership bid in UNC’s December 2015 party poll.
Al-Rawi added, “Emrith was employed at Nidco as a marketing consultant from November 18, 2010 for 12 months at a monthly salary of $35,000. He resigned from Nidco on August 2, 2011.”
“On March 4, 2011, the former Government through Nidco awarded a Design-Build contract to the Brazilian firm Constutora OAS for the lump sum of approximately TT$5.2b or $1.6b more than the engineer’s estimate.
The estimated cost to complete the highway which is now estimated to be 49 per cent complete is now in excess of TT$8 billion.”
The AG continued, “Investigations reveal that Emrith is listed as director of Pembury Consultants (T&T Ltd). This company was employed by OAS as a ‘consultant’ on Nidco’s highway project for a monthly payment of $44,800.
Payments to Pembury from OAS seem to have started at a time when Ken Emrith was still employed at Nidco.”
“From the findings at hand, OAS paid Pembury at least $896,000 up to May 2013. Subsequent payments have not yet been traced.”
Al-Rawi said Emrith is also a director of Areyma General Contractors Ltd and Duncan Transport Ltd both of which Nidco gave contract work.
He said Areyma got a contract in August 2013 to improve Hinkin Road, Cunupia a drain and footpath, for $1.6m and a drainage job in Cap de Ville in September 2015 for $1.1m.
Duncan Transport also got a construction contract at Rousillac for a retaining wall job in July 2015 for $3.3m.
Calls to Emrith’s cellphone didn’t go through. Nidco head Dr Carson Charles said last night Emrith had been a consultant doing marketing for the water taxi and was with Nidco from 2010 to 2011.
He said Emrith informed Nidco he was going to take up a job with OAS and he left Nidco.
“He would not have been allowed to continue with Nidco if he was with OAS since that would have been a conflict of interest. I don’t know about the Pembury company,” Charles said.
On the other two companies (Areyman, Duncan Transport) allegedly linked to Emrith, obtaining Nidco contracts, Charles said he’d heard of them, but added that many companies tender for work and are judged on who had the best price.
He said the issues which have arisen have to be dealt with by Emrith.