Vidya Deokiesingh, the Petrotrin employee named in an internal audit into the so-called fake oil scandal is back at work on the job after a two-month absence.
Well placed sources at the State-oil company told the T&T Guardian that Deokiesingh has been transferred out of the Exploration and Production Department to the Maintenance Department.
Deokiesingh had submitted leave to the company in September.
Only this week Opposition Senator Wade Mark called on Petrotrin’s Human Resource Manager Neil Derrick to explain how Deokiesingh was promoted from being a Hospitality Officer to the company’s Exploration and Production Unit, where he was responsible for “determining how much money is paid for oil sent to the company.”
An internal audit report in August revealed that Petrotrin paid $80 million for hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil which it did not receive.
Employees who spoke with the T&T Guardian expressed shock and surprise that Deokiesingh was back on the job.
Some senior officials said they were unaware that he had returned to work, while others said they did not even know he had not been on the job. Petrotrin’s HR Manager could not be reached for comment.
But Petrotrin officials told the Guardian that proper process has to be followed in dealing with all matters in the interest of the company. Union officials say procedures for discipline are well documented in the collective bargaining agreement.
The Guardian understands that Petrotrin’s HR department had written to Deokiesingh informing him that he was under investigation and detailing the reasons for the investigation and asking him to come in and answer the questions, in keeping with good industrial relations practice. But he never did.
When the Guardian contacted Deokiesingh he requested that the newspaper reporter call him back but subsequent calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.