Senior Reporter
otto.carrington@cnc3.co.tt
Investigations are underway by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service into allegations of a breach of the procurement process at the Port-of-Spain City Corporation.
Guardian Media obtained a letter issued by the Anti-Corruption Investigating Bureau of the TTPS, addressed to the corporation’s chief executive officer, Annette Stapleton-Seaforth, dated March 18, which identified seven people to be interviewed.
The letter stated that the ACIB was conducting investigations based on information received from the Port-of-Spain City Corporation on January 16.
According to the ACIB letter, the information received identified an allegation of a breach of the procurement process at the corporation, necessitating interviews with officeholders at the corporation and other persons of interest.
The ACIB letter requested interviews with the corporation’s procurement officer, asset manager, superintendent of transport and cleansing, and two acting garage supervisors, as well as the acting workshop foreman.
Since the investigation began just last week, Leroy Baptiste, president of the Public Services Association, confirmed that the CEO and another senior member of staff were placed on administrative leave by the Statutory Authorities’ Service Commission.
The CEO, who is nearing the end of her tenure at the corporation before retirement, is no stranger to controversy.
Earlier this year, she faced disputes with contractors from east Port-of-Spain regarding non-payment for garbage collection services.
She has also weathered calls for her resignation from the Amalgamated Workers’ Union, over alleged failures to provide proper tools for daily-paid workers represented by the union.
In response to the allegations and investigation, Port-of-Spain Mayor Chinua Alleyne stated that he was unable to comment on the issue at the time and would be better positioned to address it later this week.
Efforts were made to contact the Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Faris Al-Rawi but calls and texts to his cellphone went unanswered regarding the issue.