Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she feels “heartened” by the findings of the Kroll Consulting investigation which confirmed yesterday that Petrotrin paid for oil it did not receive. However, she said this was not the end of unearthing corruption at the state-owned company.
“We have been told that allegations have been made of other fraudulent activity at Petrotrin,” Persad-Bissessar said hours before she took to a platform at a political meeting in San Juan.
She said a lot of things at Petrotrin had placed them in a “deep, dark hole” which taxpayers now have to suffer and pay for.
In light of the external forensic report findings, Persad-Bissessar is now calling for an immediate criminal investigation by the Fraud Squad into A&V Oil & Gas, the termination of its contract with Petrotrin and the suspension of the Petrotrin employee who is alleged to have colluded in the matter.
Persad-Bissessar, who was sued after revealing details of the initial Petrotrin report into the ‘fake oil’ matter, said she was more concerned with what happens next.
“A lot of work still has to be done to make sure that the perpetrators of what may well be injustice and fraud on the taxpayers of Trinidad and Tobago do not escape.”
Persad-Bissessar also said she wants Attorney General Faris-Al-Rawi, who speaks glowingly of following the money of those involved in corruption, “to follow the $80 million on the fake oil issue.”
She added:“I would really like to hear what the Prime Minister has to say now.”
In following the money, she said the AG may have to freeze the assets of the oil company.
“That should also be done in event that those monies are lost in some way or hidden in some way.”
She said it was imperative that cash-strapped Petrotrin’s do more “than go into this issue. They must tell us what steps are going to be taken prevent something like this happening down the road. When you have matters like these it is not surprising at all. Petrotrin has to get its act together.”
Admitting she took a lot of abuse from Rowley and those around him for bringing wrongdoing to the fore, Persad-Bissessar said it was not the first and it certainly would not be the last.
“This is not the end of the matter. I am not afraid. Wherever we find corruption we will expose them.”