Opposition senator Wade Mark makes a point in
the Senate yesterday. Photo: Shirley Bahadur

Opposition Senator Wade Mark is calling for an inquiry into an alleged US$5,000 monthly rental of a house in St Joseph Village, San Fernando, by a company known as World GTL.

The house is owned by former executive chairman of Petrotrin Malcolm Jones. World GTL is involved in a gas-to-liquids project with Petrotrin. “This scandal is a fiasco worse than the Brian Lara Stadium and needs to be urgently investigated by the Fraud Squad, the DPP and the Integrity Commission if it ever becomes functional,” Mark said, during his contribution to yesterday’s Senate debate on the 2010 Appropriation Bill. Dealing with Petrotrin’s gas-to-liquids plant (GTL) project, Mark said he understood that an arrangement was made with World GTL to purchase and old methanol plant from the US and convert it to a gas-to-liquids plant and have it installed at the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, some three years ago. He added that a contract was signed between World GTL and Petrotrin, with the foreign company being assigned 51 per cent of the shares in the plant and Petrotrin the remaining 49 per cent.

Mark said the gas-to-liquids plant was originally estimated to cost US$150 million ($945 million) and was expected to be completed one year ago. He said the new completion date was December this year and the cost had increased to US$445 million ($2,803,500), a cost overrun of about US$300 million or $1.9 billion. Mark also alleged that World GTL will pay for its shares out of the profit of the plant. He added that the company did not pay any money for its 51 per cent shareholding. He said Petrotrin “seems to be funding the project 100 per cent, yet it has no patent rights.” “We also understand that Petrotrin’s auditors may have had some concerns of a possible fictitious company where money seemed to have been siphoned,” Mark said. He said former Petrotrin board member Anthony Chan Tack was fired when he sought to question this project. And Energy Minister Conrad Enill, who was in the Chamber, was asked if the matter would be investigated.

“Well, I don’t know. Every Monday morning, Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning, Thursday morning Senator Mark makes these allegations, he’s been wrong before; I see no reason why he won’t be wrong now. But if there is any truth in it we’ll deal with it,” Enill said. Pressed for further comment, Enill added: “If there is any truth in it, and if there is action to be taken, I’ll take it.” Asked if he had any prior knowledge of Mark’s allegations, Enill responded: “Why would I be? I run the energy sector, not specifics. If there is a specific issue then there is a specific issue for a board of directors who we put in place. They’re accountable.”