SILENCE ON $3.5 BILLION SCANDAL

ANOTHER messy chapter in the biggest scandal since the Calder Hart fiasco has closed without national outrage.

There is no media commentary on the multi-billion-dollar shame.

Big-rigging, kickbacks, and contract manipulation by Hart cost taxpayers more than $1 billion between 2008 and 2010.

As he licked his wounds in Opposition after the 2010 general election, Dr. Keith Rowley said the PNM would still have been in Government if not for the Hart disgrace.

But the World-Gas-To-Liquids (WGTL) plant has cost the people of Trinidad and Tobago at least $3.5 billion, inclusive of loan charges.

In its latest saga, the plant was handed to Niquan Energy for an initial US $10 million, and a subsequent US $25 million in preference shares, which it did not pay.

Taxpayers are still repaying Petrotrin loans on the failed gas conversion plant, a project of the Manning Administration.

The planned cost of the venture was about $900 million but ballooned to close to $3 billion, enough to build two airports, according to a subsequent Petrotrin chairman.

Even though Petrotrin had 49 per cent stake in the joint project, it had to foot the bills following arbitration after the business partner went bankrupt.

The Government of Kamla Persad-Bissessar took legal action against Petrotrin boss Malcolm Jones for $1.2 billion, for breach of fiduciary duties.

Affidavits revealed that Jones was given thorough technical and financial advice not to proceed with the project.

A legal firm said: “This is most un-businesslike.”

A senior Petrotrin official asked in writing: “Is this alliance workable?”

Without explanation, the Rowley Administration withdrew the legal action in 2016.

Jones was placed on Cabinet’s Sub-Committee on Energy and given a national award.

Legal action set back taxpayers by $45 million.

The Privy Council said there were “grounds for thinking” that political interference was involved in dropping the case.

Two years ago, the Government handed over the plant in a virtual fire sale.

A Court had earlier said that Niquan Energy was not in able to meet financial commitments.

Rowley expressed his “great pleasure and sense of satisfaction,” saying the project will bring in $2 billion in taxes and statutory payments.

But operations have now crashed on the weight of a $1.5 billion debt, including almost $150 million to taxpayers for gas purchases.

About 75 workers are on the breadline.

The WGTL runaway train adds to closure of the refinery and billions of wasted dollars on various Pointe-a-Pierre plants.

Cost of the gas optimisation project jumped by 561 per cent.

The ultra-low sulphur diesel plant charges zoomed up by 499 per cent.

A total of $170 million were spent on the incomplete corporate headquarters, now a highway eyesore.

These projects took place under Jones’ watch.

When he died in August 2017, Rowley termed him a “pioneer.”

The Calder Hart escapade led to a public enquiry, which produced 91 recommendations to plug corruption loopholes.

The WGTL debacle has hardly raised an eyebrow.