Noel Garcia, the chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott), has signalled his intention to sue the three commissioners in the enquiry into the construction of the Las Alturas Towers.
Garcia claimed the report recommending that he be held “accountable and liable” for the losses incurred with the housing development is “flawed”.
On December 2, 2014, retired justice Mustapha Ibrahim was appointed chairman of the enquiry with Dr Myron Wing-Sang Chin and Anthony Farrell appointed as members.
On Friday the report on the Commission of Enquiry into the construction of the Las Alturas housing project at Lady Young Gardens, Morvant, was laid in Parliament.
The report filed by the trio stated, “There is no ground from which we can advise that criminal proceedings ought to be brought against anyone”.
However, the commission recommended that civil liability action be taken against Udecott, its former executive chairman Calder Hart, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and Garcia.
Garcia, who became the Udecott chairman following the People’s National Movement’s ascension to Government last September, was a former HDC managing director.
The enquiry’s report stated he gave a “very pathetic display in the witness box.”
“It was under his stewardship that Buildings ‘H’ and ‘I’ were built in an area unsuitable for development and were earmarked to be demolished. Several decisions taken by him or in which he participated leave much to be desired. His evidence was very unsatisfactory in many respects and decisions made by him showed lack of proper guidance and leadership which was required to oversee the project,” the report stated.
The report said Garcia should be held accountable and liable for the losses sustained by the HDC when he was its managing director.
Speaking to the Sunday Guardian yesterday, Garcia took the commissioners to task.
“I would start off by saying that I am surprised and amazed that after taxpayers spent $24 million to fund a Commission of Enquiry that they could come up with such a flawed report that at best could be described as mischievous and at worst politically motivated because the report tries to paint me as being responsible for the construction of building H and I while in fact I had long departed the HDC,” Garcia said.
Garcia said the records would show that he left the HDC in June 2008 and that the Las Alturas project started somewhere between December 2008 and January 2009.
“That aspect of the project (buildings H and I) was completed somewhere in mid-2010 and the problems surfaced in 2011. How in heaven’s name could I show lack of leadership on a project that I was not there for. I was nowhere around,” he said.
Garcia said the commission was either being “mischievous or they are politically motivated.”
He said the enquiry was a witchhunt against Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley who was housing minister at the time.
“It appears that they went after Dr Rowley and when they could not get Dr Rowley they came after me believing that I am a soft target and they could lick me up but I have news for them, one I am going to file for judicial review and two I am going to sue the commission for damages,” Garcia said.
“So I am going after them and in some instances in their personal capacities because you cannot abuse office like the commission did. I mean the records are there, I gave evidence and one of the documents that was put into evidence was a letter I signed on June 30 telling China Jiangsu (International Corporation) that we agree with their proposal and they can proceed to design the building and the HDC staff will look at the designs and we will move forward,” he said.
Garcia said he has to defend himself from the commissioners’ attempt to ridicule him publicly.
“If they are not mischievous they had a motive and it is time that public officials who carry different agendas, I don’t know what agenda they were carrying, I don’t know if they were singing for their supper or if they collected their pieces of silver and I intend to go after them,” Garcia said.
“I intend to make an example of the chairman and the commissioners so I am going after them in their own right because what they are trying to do to me is to damage me professionally, to bring me into public ridicule and really to lick me up because they somehow believe that is their mission and if that is their mission I have a duty to defend myself and I will do it to the best of my ability. So as I say stay tuned for more action to come,” he said.