A conflict of interest!
That’s how many see yesterday’s appointment of well-known businessman Christian Mouttet by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley as the “sole investigator” into the sea bridge fiasco involving the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2, which the Port Authority of T&T (PATT) leased from Canadian firm Bridgemans Services Group LP.
Mouttet was given one month to present his findings to the PM.
Last Tuesday, the PATT terminated the Ocean Flower’s one-year contract, which initially led to Rowley apologising to the nation and calling a stakeholders meeting on August 21 in Tobago.
Yesterday, as news surfaced that Mouttet was now the behind the investigation, many criticised his appointment, saying it was a conflict of interest for the businessman, who uses the services of the cargo vessel, to be given such a task.
Weighing in on the issue, political analyst Prof John La Guerre said the fact that Mouttet admitted he utilises the ferry service for his chain of businesses was no doubt a conflict.
“It would be a conflict of interest and he could not be an objective assessor since he has vested interest there,” La Guerre said, noting he feels a committee chaired by someone who has experience in contractual obligations, investigations and shipping, should have been selected instead.
“Since the vessels involved contractual obligations and legal issues, someone with legal skills and training should have been considered. That is what Mouttet does not have. I would say the Prime Minister was ill-advised. He (Mouttet) is not the appropriate person for the job.”
Noting the role of an investigator is to both unearth and probe, La Guerre added: “It’s not just a matter of uncovering documents, doing interviews and putting them together. It is also a matter of assessment.”
La Guerra said with Mouttet’s inexperience it could “limit him in his assessment of the situation. It would also be a constraining factor.”
Political analyst Dr Winford James insisted it was a good decision by the PM to appoint someone to investigate the documentation of both vessels.
“One hopes that the report would not be for the Prime Minister’s eye only but for the nation, since the matter has become very public. And people would like to have answers to the questions that have arisen as result of the scandal of the hire of the boats.”
James said he hoped Mouttet would be as objective as possible in the performance of his work. He said, however, that the public would have every reason to question Mouttet’s credentials, objectivity and credibility.
“Let us hope that the matter is not exasperated because of the choice the PM made as him being the compiler of the information, because things have been going from bad to worse as far as the boat is concerned.”
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in a press release yesterday, slammed Rowley’s decision and called on him to rescind Mouttet’s appointment and establish a Commission of Enquiry into the ferry fiasco.
“It is clear that the Prime Minister cannot be trusted to do the right thing. We are not comforted by Rowley’s appointment of a one-man investigative team to investigate one of his ministers and this matter.”
She said for months citizens of T&T have been calling for the Government to come clean on the deal and they had refused.
“This Prime Minister has shown that he cannot be trusted, and it appears that Rowley prefers to cloak his ministers and the Port Authority board’s actions in secrecy, rather than to make the facts known. Worse still, he is giving the investigator one month to investigate the matter.”
She said it cannot be proper for a member of the business community, who may depend on the Government’s support and may also be a prime user of the sea bridge and other port facilities, to be asked to conduct an independent inquiry into the operations of the Port Authority and its relevant officials.
“Rowley missed the boat a long time ago in dealing with the Tobago sea bridge situation and now he has missed it again. This situation requires that there is no question of the independence of the investigator, especially in light of what we have all experienced over the past few months under the Rowley Government.”
She said citizens deserve to know the truth about this deal and those involved in any unlawful activity must be held accountable.
Former transport minister Devant Maharaj also saw Mouttet’s appointment as a conflict of interest. He also questioned what powers Mouttet had to conduct such an investigation, which the Integrity Commission was now handling. As a civilian, Maharaj queried how Mouttet would have any leeway to investigate a state enterprise.
“He has no jurisdiction or power conferred on him by any legal authority to conduct a lawful investigation. While he should be commended for his willingness to serve the country, he does not qualify in any way to investigate this issue,” Maharaj said.
He also queried what powers Moutett would have if a person refuses to participate in the investigation.