WHERE'S THE GRAND PIANO?
AG calls on Manning to answer: ...It's not at the PM's residence or Diplomatic Centre
By Anna Ramdass anna.ramdass@trinidadexpress.com
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/WHERE_S__THE__GRAND_PIANO_-113431284.htmlWhere the piano gone?
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday asked former prime minister Patrick Manning this question, saying that an expensive Bosendorfer piano cannot be found at the Prime Minister's official residence or Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's.
Speaking on a motion to amend the Anti-Corruption Act, Ramlogan disclosed that close to US$1 million (US$850,677 after a 33 per cent discount) was spent to purchase ten Bosendorfer pianos from Las Vegas, one of which is now missing.
Stressing on the corruption that took place under Ken Julien at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Ramlogan said that Julien, in 2008, brokered a deal with the president of Bosendorfer to supply ten pianos.
"Bosendorfer pianos, Mr Speaker, for those of us who are accustomed to the steelpan and the dholak and the majeera and the rhythm section... the Bosendorfer piano is the Rolls Royce of pianos in the world," Ramlogan said.
One piano, he said, called "the Strauss", was listed for US$114,215 and was delivered to the official Prime Minister's residence.
"I respect the member for San Fernando East, but I didn't realise that he was so multi-talented that he needed a piano in his house," said Ramlogan, as Government Minister Jack Warner quipped, "He (Manning) can't even play in the rain!"
An Opposition MP asked, "What is wrong with a piano?" Ramlogan shot back, "Nothing is wrong with a piano, but the day you could play a good chutney or calypso on it, come back and talk to me."
Manning sat quietly in his chair during the statement and subsequent cross-talk.
Ramlogan said: "I have asked Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar to search those premises to locate this grand piano, because all we know about is a lil Bob Marley music and a lil kaiso and calypso and chutney, that's all we listen to. But this grand piano, I want to ask the member for San Fernando East, sir, if you know where that piano is in the Diplomatic Centre and your former residence, can you please assist us?"
He added, "I don't know if it's behind the chapel, is it behind the gym? Tell me, sir, I don't know where it is. If you can tell us where it is housed, it will be very very helpful to us, sir. Lord Kitch used to sing where the money gone, today we have to ask where the piano gone."
The other pianos, he said, were placed at the residence of UTT Prof Mittens, the UTT Maritime campus, Pt Lisas campus, San Fernando campus and the O'Meara campus.
Ramlogan said three were transferred to the National Academy for the Performing Arts and two still remain in packages. "We considered this to be a most shameful and disgraceful wastage of public funds," he said.
Ramlogan also disclosed that UTT, according to the interim report of an investigation into that institution, was rife with corrupt practices under Julien.
He read from the report and outlined several corrupt practices that took place—in particular, the leasing of a guest house in Aripo at $50,000 a month, which Manning's spiritual adviser, Rev Juliana Pena, had stayed in for a year.
Ramlogan said the company from which the guest house was leased—Consolidated Services Ltd—did not even have the legal title for the place.
"Technically speaking, UTT may be very well trespassing on that property and paying $50,000 to so do," he said.
He added that in addition to this, some $5 million was spent fixing the guest house and in total $14.4 million was spent on leasing and repairs.
Ramlogan also noted that professors at UTT were paid huge salaries. He said a tailor from London, who hardly spent time in Trinidad, was paid $116,912 and when his contract ended he collected a "bonus" of $240,000. He added that Julien's contract gave him all kinds of luxuries, including $37,000 for landscaping services and US$30,000 in medical expenses
