De Minister of Sport doing everything but Sports !!!!

[royal]

How is Roberts resignation affect Malabar FC?

I was thinking de same thing. All dem Jabloteh players who transferred.

[soccerrama]

Anil: PM buckled under pressure
Friday, August 1, 2014
Shaliza Hassanali

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-07-31/anil-pm-buckled-under-pressure
 
Sport Minister Anil Roberts says he was forced to resign from the People’s Partnership Government due to mounting pressure from the public, the Opposition and even his own Cabinet colleagues. Some of his own Cabinet colleagues were against him, he said. Roberts also threw in the towel as MP for D’Aabdie/O’Meara. During an interview in Diego Martin yesterday, moments after penning his resignation letter to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Roberts said during the four years he spent in Government he realised one thing... politics has a morality of its own.

He said the last thing he expected was being asked to resign. Roberts said resigning with a “heavy heart was an understatement” since his entire life was surrounded by sports.
 “If a minister has been forced to resign or have to resign, having done nothing wrong, a minister of government, duly elected by the people, is put into a position to resign, then where do we go from here?” he asked.
Asked why his Cabinet colleagues were against him, Roberts replied: “You would have to ask them because, me, to tell you the truth, one of my weaknesses from having lived a life in sport is that I am too much of a team player. “My wife always tells me that I believe in people too much. I have learnt the hard way today. That is the regret I have.”

Asked if he was supported by his Cabinet colleagues following the audit, Roberts said: “A few were supportive, some were openly unsupportive, and some who I thought were colleagues were actually not. It is amazing.”
Yesterday, a sombre-looking Roberts, accompanied by his 22-year-old wife, Shandell, who is 25 weeks pregnant, said despite what has happened “life will go on.”
Roberts said several ministers, whose ministry came under question, were never asked to resign. He asked: “All of a sudden pressure was brought to mount from all over and pressure was put on my Prime Minister and forced me to resign. Did I want to resign? No!”

Is there a cabal in the Government?
“There is no cabal. The PM is in charge. She makes her decisions.
 “However, there would be some who would be for you, some who are against you and most importantly, many who are for themselves.”
He said he was not surprised by the turn of events because people said politics was a dirty game.
 “I have learnt that it is a filthy game and it is getting filthier every day, where fact and truth have no place and where investigations and documentation is irrelevant.
“Is just who can make the most noise with the most indisciplined journalists in history.
“Those who do not adhere to the tenets of journalism, who are unable to state their biases openly, but you can see it clearly.”
Asked if the PM buckled under pressure, Roberts said:  “Well, yes! I guess you have to buckle under pressure in politics... because politics has a morality of its own.
“So even though you did nothing wrong and the audit is flawed and natural justice has not taken its natural course, decisions are made based on politics.”

In spite of all of that, Robert said he had no regrets about joining the PP Government and serving his country.
 “Despite the PP’s flaws, they are far superior to what the PNM could offer.
 “I have regrets not being able to finish what I started, to leave a lasting impact in sport for the next generation... and that I have been forced to leave, having done nothing wrong,”  he added. Roberts said he was sad to leave.
“For me, personally, politics is just pain and torture. It’s financially crippling.”
Before entering politics, Roberts was a talk show host and coach. He also operated a successful restaurant.

He said: “As a minister, I made far less money. I accepted the ministerial position because of one thing... for the love of country.
 “Going into Government you take a huge pay cut. Now I can go and make some money and relax myself and deal with less stress.
“Am I celebrating? No! because I made up my mind to serve and I didn’t get the opportunity to fulfil my objectives.”
Will he resign from the Congress of the People?
 “I was never really interested in the COP. You cannot resign from a corpse. The COP is dead. They are just a comedy of errors. I hope that Prakash (Ramadhar) gets some more votes because he called for my resignation.”
 Roberts said there was legal advice inside and outside to the board of the Sport Company, “dictating and telling them they were obligated to pay. Well, so be it! You live and you learn.”
He asked: “If the population and pressure groups had that information, would the pressure been less? I think so.”
Roberts said no other sport minister was able to achieve what he did.
Was he dealt an unfair blow?
Roberts said, “Yes.”

$34m EBeam contract
Roberts said most of the clamouring from the public surrounds the $34 million contract to EBeam Interact Ltd, which was raised in the Life Sport audit.
 “It appears to the population that somebody in the Sport Company of T&T has stolen $34 million. It was stated by an official report that the second tranche of $17 million was paid, despite the board receiving advice not to pay.
 “Now that is a very serious thing. Any reasonable person who reads that, they would think that is total corruption and stealing.
"The problem is, that is not the truth.”

What the PM said
Roberts said at 1.30 pm yesterday, the PM telephoned him to say “that due to the pressures from the party, Government and so on, that she has to accept my resignation. She also indicated that she knew I did nothing wrong.”
Roberts said: “ I told her, God bless.”

Will Roberts continue to stay in politics?
“No! don’t call me, text, e-mail or leave a voicemail on my phone. I going to hug up my wife and take care of my unborn baby and other children and relax. However, you don’t get out of politics until you dead.”
Asked if he thought the PP had a good chance of winning the 2015 general election, Roberts said he believed so, “but they (ministers) have to stop the petty politics, immaturity and work like a team, rather than look for individual glory.”
Roberts said while the PNM was celebrating his resignation, they were not an alternative for the people.
 

[Flex]

PM ACTED ON FACTS, NOT FORCE
By CAROL MATROO (NEWSDAY)

MINISTER of Trade, Industry, Investment and Communication, Vasant Bharath, says Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s acceptance of former Sports Minister Anil Roberts resignation both as minister and Member of Parliament for D’abadie/O’Meara was not a “forced one”, but a demonstration of “careful consideration of all the facts, and responsible leadership”.

The PM announced during a post-Cabinet news conference on Thursday that she had accepted Roberts’ resignation. This was following a meeting between the former MP and the PM on Wednesday. Roberts had been under public scrutiny since a video purporting to show a person resembling him rolling a marijuana joint in a hotel room with some women.

He has since denied that he was the person in the video, and Persad-Bissessar had accepted his formal statement. Following this, Roberts found himself in the spotlight again when details of mismanagement of money in his Life Sport programme emerged.

An audit showed that the brainchild of Roberts came under question following queries and eventually the controversial programme, was terminated after the tabling of the “Report of the Central Audit Committee on the Comprehensive Audit of the Payment System”, during a sitting in the Lower House.

Bharath dismissed as “typical, baseless fabrication”, the claims by PNM Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley, that the Prime Minister was forced to make her decision to accept Roberts’ decision. “In fact, the Prime Minister demonstrated that she would not bow to political pressure, and would instead choose to act responsibly by thoroughly considering the facts before her before making a decision,” he said.

In a release yesterday, Bharath said Rowley did not understand the principles of leadership and “decisive decision making.” He said Rowley “misrepresents the facts of issues and attempts to capitalise on concoctions because he sees no other way of getting the attention of the public.”

He said it was no surprise that the Opposition Leader was saying the PM was forced to make her decision. Bharath said Rowley was now claiming that Persad-Bissessar was trying to “misrepresent the fact that the Prime Minister continues to lead our country by new standards of openness, consultation and facts.” He said the PM has always acted with loyalty to the best interest of citizens of this country.

There were mixed results yesterday as residents of D’Abadie/O’Meara voiced their opinions over their former MP. Esla Williams, 80, believed he “did the right thing” in resigning.

“I applaud him for that. It took a little long, it should have been done before. If the investigation is finished and they have proven him to be not guilty, then maybe he can be reinstated, but for now his integrity is what stood out, you have to show that. Have integrity and do the right thing,” she said. If the People’s Partnership would retain the seat, Williams had her doubts.

“I do not know if the PP would get back this seat. There are lots of controversy and discrepancies, it’s in the balance, I am not sure. I am glad he came to his senses and did the right thing because after all integrity stands out at the end of the day. At the end of the day Williams was pleased by the representation she received from Roberts.

“His representation was good. They fixed the basketball court, the bridge coming into Mendez Road, but in light of what has been going on, I think the right thing he had to do, was compelled to do what he did,” she said. Another resident, who did not want to give her name, said Roberts, as the line minister had to take responsibility for what happened under his watch.

“You must know if you have people in charge of different things, everything has to come back to you, you are the line minister. When they bring that financial statement you are the one who has to go through it. When you see that statement that $3 million going for somebody for food, you must know something wrong with that. All of them getting a cut, all yuh give me a break please. You know what I like about him, he bold...he should get a Trinity Cross for being bold,” she told the Newsday. Another man, who said he worked for another ministry said Roberts should have resigned long before since he “had too much baggage.”

“He made the Prime Minister look real bad,” he said. But Marsha Straker-Park felt that Roberts showed a sign of character by resigning. Grace Malchan was more than happy that Roberts was no longer her MP.

“He has too much of out of timing ways seriously speaking.” She said she had worked on his campaign in 2010. “I heard the PM said he resigned, but I did not hear he said he resigned.

“I work for the Government and $400 million gone and you have no inkling what is going on? As a line minister there is no possible way that could have happened. I think the PM encouraged him to do the right thing, she had no choice,” she said. Ingrid Williams said ministers in public office should be held accountable.

“After election you really don’t see MPs to say whether they worked, you really don’t know...you don’t know what they did, but I am glad that he resigned. To me he was arrogant. If you want to say that we want to reach a status of a nation, people in office should look at the quality of life that they live.

“If you are a minister or somebody in government you normally resign, you don’t wait on the public to say “step down.” Several calls made to Roberts’ phone yesterday went straight to voice mail.

[Flex]

GO NOW ANIL
T&T Express Reports.

D’Abadie/O’Meara residents glad Roberts out as Sport Minister, want him to give up constituency too.

FORMER sport minister Anil Roberts, MP for D’Abadie/O’Meara, is yet to submit his letter of resignation as an elected MP to Parliament.

Speaking to TV6 News yesterday, communications officer of the Parliament Jason Elcock said Roberts’ letter of resignation, up to five o’clock on Thursday evening, had not yet been submitted to House Speaker Wade Mark.

However, several residents of the D’Abadie/O’Meara constituency yesterday called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to also accept Roberts’ resignation as member of Parliament (MP) for the area.

Persad-Bissessar on Thursday announced she had accepted the resignation of Roberts as minister of sport.

She said she had advised acting President Timothy Hamel-Smith to revoke that appointment with immediate effect.

Roberts said in his letter to the PM; “I write to you today with a heavy heart to inform you of my desire to resign as minister of sport and as Member of Parliament for D’Abadie/O’Meara with immediate effect, based on the inexplicable public furore that continued unabated, based on information in the public domain”.

But in her statement at the post-Cabinet media briefing on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar did not refer to Roberts’ desire to resign as MP.

She said, “I have decided to accept the offer of resignation as minister of sport from Mr Anil Roberts.”

Persad-Bissessar added she had advised Hamel-Smith to assign Minister of Science and Technology Dr Rupert Griffith to the Sport portfolio, in addition to his current duties.

In a programme which aired on TV6 News last night, several residents were quoted as saying Roberts’ decision to resign from both positions was a blessing in disguise.

While many declined to speak on camera when the TV6 crew went to the constituency yesterday, citing reasons such as fear of victimisation and fear for their safety, especially in light of the allegations of intimidation and even a case of murder involving persons close to the Life-Sport programme, this did not prevent persons from expressing an opi­nion—generally, the MP was out of touch with people at the grassroots level and he had not delivered du­ring his tenure.

Residents spoke about bad roads, improper drainage and neglected community centres and sporting facilities within the constituency.

To people like Kane, Roberts had become a phantom.

“From my point of view, he was a big joke. He was a shadow MP and when I say shadow, shadow as in he never did much for the people, just give a little CEPEP (Community-based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme) gang some work and put up some infrastructures here and there,” Kane said.

Others said they were of the opi­nion Roberts should have stepped aside since the “Room 201” video surfaced months ago.

“I think he should have stepped down long time now ’cause too many allegations have his name in it, like the ‘201’ video and many others. I think as a minister, he should have known better and, simply put, been a better example for the youth,” another resident said.

Over in Carapo, people seemed equally dissatisfied.

One resident said, “Roberts was never at the constituency office and is a waste of time. People coming and waiting on him, sometimes whole day you waiting, and he never show up.”

Another constituent recalled she had visited Roberts to get help in obtaining a food card but was never assisted.

Anil Roberts’ political future remains up in the air at the moment as while he tendered his resignation for the portfolios as MP and as minister of sport, as of press time yesterday, the Prime Minister has only publicly accepted his resignation from his position as head of the Sport Ministry.

If the PM were to accept his resignation as MP at a later date, his constituency would not hold a by-election as the government is already in its fifth year.
 
Controversial video
 
In May, a video went viral, showing a person resembling a Government minister rolling a substance believed to be marijuana into a cigarette in a hotel room (201) with two women. Last month, Roberts told the PM he has never used drugs, inclu­ding marijuana, during his tenure as minister and “never taken, used or experimented with illicit or illegal drugs or ever been involved in any form or fashion with prostitutes”.
Persad-Bissessar subsequently said she had no reason to remove Roberts from her Cabinet.

[Sando prince]

I hope the new Sports Minister is one who is willing to work with the different Sport administrations in getting things done with transparency and accountability so our athletes will benefit in the long run.. We've had some tough times with the previous two Ministers

[Controversial]

I hope the new Sports Minister is one who is willing to work with the different Sport administrations in getting things done with transparency and accountability so our athletes will benefit in the long run.. We've had some tough times with the previous two Ministers

A setta waste of time people...

[Flex]

Anil to take fresh Life Sport evidence to DPP, CoP, IC
By Shaliza Hassanali (Guardian).

Former sport minister Anil Roberts has described the controversial Life Sport audit as “flawed, untoward and doctored,” and says he will be taking fresh evidence from the programme to the Director of Public Prosecutions, acting Police Commissioner, Finance Minister and the Integrity Commission.

Roberts said the 53-page report, which was tabled in Parliament on July 25 by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, was “clearly designed to create public mischief.”

Roberts also promised to “seek legal advice on the report,” in a bid to get redress on the matter.

On Thursday, shortly after resigning as sport minister, Roberts said the “Overview of Conclusions” on Page 4 of the report stated that “given the widespread nature of the breaches, it is difficult to understand how they went unnoticed by the Ministry of Sport.

“Consideration has to be given to whether there was complicity by officers of the ministry. For example, the entire payment of $34 million to EBeam Interact Ltd was made not withstanding that external attorneys advised that there may have been grounds to contest and resist the final payment.”

On December 6, 2012, SporTT engaged EBeam to provide numeracy, literacy and interactive technology for the Life Sport programme at a cost of $34 million.

However, a legal battle ensued between SporTT and EBeam over the contract.

Roberts produced a letter from JD Sellier and Company, dated February 17, 2014, written by attorney Anja Dass, which stated that SporTT was obligated under the contract to issue the remaining $17 million to EBeam.

The letter was copied to JD Sellier’s attorney Dennis Gurley and SporTT’s head legal, attorney Lisa Solomon.

“However, given the lack of co-operation on the part of EBeam to meet and negotiate any new terms/conditions/amended contract until said payment is made to him we advised that SporTT was left with no other option but to pay the contracted balance, given SporTT’s position under the contract,” Dass advised.

“This was the final external legal advice upon which the SporTT board and its CEO acted upon,” Roberts said.

Roberts: Vital information conveniently left out in report

The conclusion by the audit committee that Ministry of Sport officials were complicit in making this payment despite external legal advice to the contrary is wrong on many levels, Robert said.

“Firstly, it was the Sport Company that was responsible for managing and making payment on the EBeam contract and not Ministry of Sport officials. Secondly, and more importantly, both internal and external legal advice stated that the Sport Company was legally obligated to pay and had no other option but to pay.”

Roberts also drew reference to a memorandum dated November 11, 2013, sent to CEO of SporTT from Solomon, which stated that “based on the instructions which have been provided, there are no facts which can give rise to a legal termination of this contract. As discussed above, there is no evidence of a material breach of contract by EBeam.”

Roberts said Solomon advised that “the contract between SporTT and EBeam, having been duly executed is a binding legal document,” and that “failure by SporTT to pay EBeam the $17 million, representing 50 per cent of the fee contractually due and owing will, in the circumstances, be a breach of contract and may result in legal action by EBeam to recover the contract price and any other reasonable consequential losses.”

Solomon also recommended that the most feasible option available to SporTT would be to pay to EBeam the monies claimed by their invoice in accordance with the obligations set out in the contract, Roberts said.

However, he said this piece of vital information was conveniently left out of the report.

“Someone intentionally doctored and edited Solomon’s advice before attaching to the report. My question is, who did that and why?”

Roberts said what was equally disturbing, the committee did not return to the Ministry of Sport, Life Sport and SporTT to verify and check the information they had obtained, which is a normal procedure in completing an audit.

“This is not the only thing I found missing. That is fraud. Documents have been doctored to present a false conclusion...a conclusion of complicity, corruption and criminal activity. This is very serious and dangerous.

“So the audit report attaches a legal memorandum with the most important pages missing, then comes to a false conclusion based on the doctored advice. This is too coincidental.”

Finance Minister Larry Howai, whose ministry undertook the audit, did not respond to questions that were e-mailed to him on Friday.

Speaker to get MP’s resignation letter tomorrow

Former sport minister Anil Roberts will submit his letter of resignation as D’Abadie/O’Meara MP to Speaker Wade Mark at 9 am tomorrow.

Roberts in a brief telephone interview yesterday said he would not deliver his resignation letter personally to Mark.

Instead, the letter will be sent from his former executive secretary at the Ministry of Sport to Mark’s personal secretary at his office.

“On Monday, at 9 am, the Speaker will receive my letter of resignation as MP for D’Abadie/O’Meara,” Roberts said.

For Roberts’ resignation to be effective, the Speaker has to receive communication from the MP, which would be read to the House.

Up to Thursday, communications officer of the Parliament Jason Elcock said Roberts’ letter of resignation had not yet been submitted to Mark.

Last Thursday, Roberts was forced to resign from the People’s Partnership Government.

He attributed his resignation to mounting pressures from the public, the Opposition, and even his own Cabinet colleagues.

Roberts’ resignation came six days after the Life Sport audit was laid in the House of Representatives by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Persad-Bissessar said there was enough evidence in the audit to warrant a probe by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the acting Commissioner of Police, Integrity Commission and head of the Public Service.

[Flex]

LifeSport never got tuition programme approval...
By Asha Javeed (Express)

NO $34m SIGN-OFF

Deputy chairman of the LifeSport Implementation Committee Ishwar Mootoo says no approval was ever given by his team for the $34 million contract paid to EBeam Interact to teach mathematics and English.

Mootoo, in a telephone interview with the Sunday Express, said when the proposal was brought before the implementation committee, it was rejected for two reasons—there was concern about the sum of the contract and the centres were not ready to accept the technology which the proposal had outlined.

The LifeSport Implementation Committee was set up by former Sport Minister Anil Roberts in June 2012, shortly after LifeSport was launched.

It was chaired by Forbes Persad and comprised private sector individuals and well as employees from the Ministry of Sport.

Persad resigned several months ago and deferred all questions to Mootoo.

It was this team that managed LifeSport for the first year after it was set up before the director, Cornelius Price, was brought in to manage it.

“We have minutes to show that we did not sign off on that contract,” said Mootoo.

He said this position was outlined to the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago and was surprised several months later when he heard that the contract had been awarded.

It was the Sport Company which awarded Adolphus Daniell the $34 million contract for which he did no work.

Daniell’s $34 million payment was the single biggest payment of the programme for no work unearthed by the Central Audit Committee’s audit into LifeSport.

LifeSport was shut down by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last month.

The Sunday Express sought to ascertain just who gave approval for the Sport Company to approve Daniell’s contract despite the rejection from the LifeSport Implementation Committee, the rationale for contracting Daniell and whether any objection to the contract was raised by permanent secretary Ashwin Creed, as the ministry’s accounting officer.

 The Sunday Express contacted chairman of the Sport Company Sebastien Paddington to ascertain what made the company approve and pay the contract to Daniell but he declined comment, explaining that legal advice was being sought on the matter.

Even as the Sunday Express sought answers as to why a second $17 million payment was made in spite of no work, Paddington deferred comment until he had spoken to the company’s attorneys.

The Sunday Express also called several directors—Reynold Bala, Norris Blanc, Nisa Dass, Anyl Gopeesingh, Sabrenah Khayyam, Kent Samlal and Harnarine Singh­—who all declined comment.

When the Sunday Express contacted the Ministry of Finance for an explanation how this payment went undetected, an official said that when the Sport Company applies for the money allocated to it in the budget, it does not always specify exactly what the payment is for, just a general request for the sum which it requires.

One permanent secretary explained that in Government contracts, usually nothing or at most, ten per cent is paid up front.

And it is only on completion of a project or job, once invoices are sent in, that final payment is made.

“That contract would have had to be an anomaly, a departure from normal procedure so you can tell that other players would have had to be in concert,” said the permanent secretary.

“When you apply for funds from the Ministry of Finance, you have to explain how the funds will be used.

That is how the system works. I don’t understand how there could have been no documented proof that work was not done, and still pay out that sum,” the permanent secretary explained.

Finance Minister Larry Howai had previously explained: “This particular contract was approved by the Sport Company (SporTT), not by the ministry. State enterprises can and do enter into contracts without Cabinet’s approval. As far as I can recall, Cabinet would not have been aware of this contract at the time that it was approved. The Ministry of Sport proceeded with it through the Sport Company rather than through the Ministry of Sport itself.”
 
Daniell defends

Daniell, through his company EBeam Interact Ltd, was solely selected to provide mathematics, English and technology lessons to the participants of LifeSport from December 2012.

However,  EBeam was paid two installments of $17 million- the first installment which represented 50 per cent of the fee was paid on June 14, 2013 and the second payment was done on February 11, 2014.

On March 11, 2013­—three months after he was supposed to start teaching and three months before he was paid $17 million—Daniell wrote a memo to the Sport Company.

He e-mailed a copy to the Sunday Express which he outlined what he thought were the key flaws in the programme:
 
1. The top down prioritisation drains the limited resources before they can filter down to the bottom where the impact is intended. Sadly, the greatest benefits that the participants continue to enjoy are free meals and unearned stipends with no strings attached.

2. The execution of management policies as it pertains to impact on the participants does NOT rely on the participants’ involvement or require them to take personal or collective responsibility for any outcomes. In fact, the current approach is a ‘hand-me-down’ approach which reinforces the prevailing dependency syndrome and exposes management to severe criticism when there is any failure, real or perceived, to meet the needs of the participants who are not made to be responsible for anything other than their collecting material things.

3. Failure to appreciate that there are proven system-dynamics principles which must be used in transitioning a complex, connected system from one state to another. This failure to understand and apply these principles have resulted in a lot of noise and vibrations within the LifeSport System, keeping it in the same state as it continues to use valuable resources in order to sustain the continuous internal noise and vibrations.

“In its present form, the LifeSport programme is on an inevitable collision course which calls for professional, sound, scientific intervention. If what is required is not undertaken, it would be futile to embark on the mathematics, English language or technology component,” he stated.

He said in order “to accomplish and sustain what is desirable, a scientific approach to ordering the processes throughout the entire LifeSport system must be undertaken as a matter of urgency. Without such an undertaking, the LifeSport programme is destined to reinforce the very things it was designed to eliminate, namely dependency, selfishness, unemployable youths who lack values and promote rising crime.”

“If I am expected to meaningfully contribute to the attainment of the LifeSport objectives and the success at the mid-term review, then I would have to lend assistance to the persons who are charged with the responsibility for execution and oversight in ordering the LifeSport System to achieve its desirable and measurable outcomes. If accepted, with immediate effect for the next three months, I would require the following:

1. That the programme director and his team be charged with the absolute responsibility for the overall execution of the LifeSport programme without ad hoc interference. In particular, the Programme Director must have the last say; of course, he will be held accountable by his superiors for the results produced.

2. That I will work with and through the programme director and his team to assist them in the implementation of an effective, scientific, operational framework.

3. I will specify what I need to conduct my work and must be given such within a responsible time frame.

4. All Cabinet defined and Ministry of Sport protocols should be observed.

5. Finally, in this regard, I will give of my time FREE of CHARGE as my personal contribution to my country, Trinidad and  Tobago, at this critical time.

I trust that my requests will be given due consideration and quick approval, with or without further consultation. Regrettably, if there is no desire by the Ministry of Sport to embark on my proposed vital intervention then I would in conscience have to withdraw from further participation in the LifeSport programme and decline any contractual obligation as it relates to mathematics, English language and technology,” his memo stated.

While Daniell was paid, the programme never got started.

Daniell has said he has no intention of returning the money he was paid from the program me.

“The thing about it is, it is a non-issue because the only way under a contract anything is recoverable is if the other party is in default. There was never a single letter of complaint that I was in default of this contract. Not even a phone call,” he had said.

[Football supporter]

I have to admire Daniell's email raising concerns. At that point, he was behaving as any proud citizen should do when uncovering a crass waste of taxpayers money.
Had he moved forward with his ultimatum of withdrawing, he would have been in a key position to carefully observe his replacement contractor and expose the weaknesses in the programme.

However, it appears that his morals may have evaporated. If he truly wanted to make a "personal contribution to my country, Trinidad and  Tobago, at this critical time." surely he could have banked the $34 million and then exposed the LifeSport programme earlier and returned the money.

Finally, I find this statement amazing :it is a non-issue because the only way under a contract anything is recoverable is if the other party is in default. There was never a single letter of complaint that I was in default of this contract. Not even a phone call,” he had said.

I wonder if that could be that the people who were charged with monitoring Daniell's work were even aware that he had been paid? After all, there was no infrastructure in place and how could you attend a class to monitor the delivery if there never was a class taking place?

Now, I understand what he means here. It's like you get a contract to paint white lines on the highway once it is built. But if the highway isn't built, you can't paint the white lines. So, it's not you who caused the default, but you never carried out the work. Also, you may have recruited people and sent them on highway painting courses etc, so you may have incurred costs.

But I am fairly sure there is (or certainly should be) a clause that states that you only get paid upon completion of contract or fazes thereof.

[Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$]

I have to admire Daniell's email raising concerns. At that point, he was behaving as any proud citizen should do when uncovering a crass waste of taxpayers money.
Had he moved forward with his ultimatum of withdrawing, he would have been in a key position to carefully observe his replacement contractor and expose the weaknesses in the programme.

However, it appears that his morals may have evaporated. If he truly wanted to make a "personal contribution to my country, Trinidad and  Tobago, at this critical time." surely he could have banked the $34 million and then exposed the LifeSport programme earlier and returned the money.

Finally, I find this statement amazing :it is a non-issue because the only way under a contract anything is recoverable is if the other party is in default. There was never a single letter of complaint that I was in default of this contract. Not even a phone call,” he had said.

I wonder if that could be that the people who were charged with monitoring Daniell's work were even aware that he had been paid? After all, there was no infrastructure in place and how could you attend a class to monitor the delivery if there never was a class taking place?

Now, I understand what he means here. It's like you get a contract to paint white lines on the highway once it is built. But if the highway isn't built, you can't paint the white lines. So, it's not you who caused the default, but you never carried out the work. Also, you may have recruited people and sent them on highway painting courses etc, so you may have incurred costs.

But I am fairly sure there is (or certainly should be) a clause that states that you only get paid upon completion of contract or fazes thereof.

This happens on various scales daily in business transactions.  Not comparing the gravity of the 2 in any way but as an example, as a DJ I have been contracted and paid on many an occasion and despite not playing a single song.  The reason being is that I was hired to deliver a service and arrived prepared to deliver.  The fact that I was unable to deliver through no fault of my own does not negate the fact that I was in position to comply and was not allowed to do so for reasons I cannot directly control or influence.  So from a contract and business standpoint Mr. Daniell's position is unchallengable.  I don't know the details of the contract but if it outlined a time frame by which it was to be paid then the issue does not lie with him.  now from a moral standpoint given his statements about wanting to help his country, this totally stinks to an extremely obscene level.  Mr. Daniell covered his ass well it would seem.  He can't have it both ways though, in this scenario he is either patriot or business man.  If he were being a patriot and wanted to truly help, he would have brought forth this information before it had to be uncovered through any form of audit process. 

[Deeks]

I was talking to a friend of mine yestersday. He told me this guy Daniel use to give lesson for a lot of GCE students. Forumites from Belmont/EDR should know this guy. He live on Norfolk rd and Robinson pl(correct me). I know a lot of university graduates who took lessions from this guy.

[Brownsugar]

Good to see you back Sugar.

I haven't gone anywhere Dreamer.  My access to the forum is a bit limited these days.  Hoping to rectify that soon.....

[Flex]

I’LL CLEAR MY NAME
By Clint Chan Tack (Newsday).

FORMER Sports Minister and D’Abadie/O’Meara MP Anil Roberts yesterday vowed to do all in his power to clear his name in the wake of the Life Sport controversy that cost him his Cabinet post and his seat in the House of Representatives.

Roberts made this promise in a letter to Speaker Wade Mark, in which he announced his resignation as D’Abadie/O’Meara MP.

Charging he has been targeted for character assassination and reiterating his claim that the Life Sport audit conducted by the Finance Ministry’s central audit committee was flawed, Roberts declared, “I shall do all in my power to clear my name which has been sullied by political mischief-makers with the assistance of a complicit central audit committee.”

He added, “One is left wondering how a fraudulent report like this central audit committee report makes its way into our Parliament, and subsequently into our public domain.” Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar laid the audit in the House on July 25.

When she did so, Persad-Bissessar said copies would be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the acting Commissioner of Police (CoP), Integrity Commission and the Head of the Public Service for further investigation. Roberts told Newsday that at about 3 pm yesterday, copies of his resignation letter and attached correspondence to support his claims were sent to the DPP, CoP and the Commission. He also said the SPORTT Company and the Sport Ministry “will also send to the Ministry of Finance, DPP et cetera, full detailed responses to falsehoods in the audit report.”

At the start of yesterday’s sitting of the House of Representatives, the first for the Fifth Session of the Tenth Parliament at the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre, Mark advised MPs, “Today at approximately 9.03 am, I received a letter from Mr Anil Roberts tendering his resignation as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of D’Abadie/O’Meara with immediate effect.”

Quoting Section 49 (2) (a) of the Constitution, Mark said, “A member of the House of Representatives shall also vacate his seat in the House where he resigns it by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker or, where the Speaker is vacant or the Speaker is absent from Trinidad and Tobago, to the Deputy Speaker.”

Roberts signalled his intent to resign as minister and MP in a letter to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar last Thursday. Mark indicated, “In view of the foregoing, I declare that the Member for D’Abadie/O’Meara has vacated this seat in the House.” However Mark did not read the contents of Roberts’ letter into the Hansard record.

Roberts subsequently contacted Newsday and asked, “Why did he not read my letter into the Hansard?” Indicating copies of his letter would be available to the media in Parliament, Roberts said, “Read it. You will see why.”

In his letter, Roberts advised Mark of his resignation as MP with immediate effect and thanked his constituents for the opportunity to serve them. “Today I wish to go in peace with my good name intact,” he wrote.

Appealing to Mark to “sanitise the record and place the truth at the forefront,” Roberts charged, “This has gone far beyond the realm of mischievous politics and descended into the abyss of nefarious character assassination by those with hidden political agendas.”

Roberts told Mark he wanted to alert him “to the fact that an incomplete, misleading central audit report has been laid as a public document in your honourable house.”

He said while the Finance Ministry’s central audit committee delivered what it entitled as a “final report” into Life Sport to the Government, “this is not and cannot be the final report.” Roberts told Mark, “As you are well aware, best practice internationally and domestically mandates that a draft report be supplied to the respective government departments for their final comment, queries and clarifications before producing a bonafide ‘FINAL REPORT’.”

He claimed this final step, dictated by the laws of natural justice, convention, process and fairness, “was completely omitted, leading to what can only be described as grave errors of fact.”

Highlighting the payment of $34 million to EBeam Interact Limited as one example of the audit being flawed, Roberts told Mark, “ Before July 25, 2014, this issue was a legal one, a civil one, one of a contractual nature which seemed headed to the civil courts for resolution.”

However Roberts claimed “the laying of an incomplete, erroneous central audit committee report” from the Finance Ministry in the House has presented a false conclusion that payment was made to EBeam notwithstanding that external attorneys advised that there were grounds to contest and resist the final payment.

“This false conclusion transformed a civil matter into a criminal one and the subsequent fire storm of unsubstantiated claims, allegations, counter claims, unwarranted attacks, assumptions and assassination of my character throughout my beloved country has gone unabated,” he said.

Stating he had received internal legal advice dated November 11, 2013 from attorney Lisa Solomon, head legal at the SPORTT company, Roberts said that advice indicated there were no facts to support the legal termination of the EBeam contract.

He said Solomon’s advice added that SPORTT’s failure to pay the outstanding sum of $17 million to EBeam would mean it was in breach of the contract and EBeam would be entitled to take legal action against SPORTT “to recover the contract price and any other reasonable consequential losses.

Saying that “the complete and true version” of Solomon’s legal advice is attached to appendix 2 of his resignation letter, Roberts said a detailed examination of appendix 22 of the “final report” of the central audit committee will show that “a key portion of this advice has been omitted” by the committee. He alleged that what is contained in the report “is in fact a doctored, edited, incomplete version” of that advice.

Roberts told Mark, “Shockingly, you will notice that a key portion of this advice” has been omitted by the committee.” He said this “is the exact portion of the advice which goes directly against the inaccurate, false and now apparently fraudulent conclusions” drawn by the committee on page 4, section 1.2 with respect to the EBeam interact contract.

Section 1.2 reads, “Given the widespread nature of the breaches, it is difficult to understand how they went unnoticed by the Ministry of Sport. Consideration has to be given to whether there was complicity by officers of the Ministry. For example, the entire payment of $34 million to EBeam Interact Limited was made notwithstanding that external attorneys advised that there may have been grounds to contest and resist the final payment.”

Telling Mark he has provided him with the “true and complete copy” of the original legal advice, Roberts claimed this was altered by the committee in appendix 22 to appendix 22.2 of the audit.

“Someone has wilfully manipulated the text by placing part on the reverse side of the document and omitting key sections of the legal opinion,” he claimed. He added Solomon’s advice is supported by legal advice from the legal from the firm of JD Sellier and Company in a letter dated February 17, 2014, which was part of the bundle of documents that accompanied his resignation letter to Mark. Efforts to contact Finance Minister Larry Howai to respond to Roberts’ claims were unsuccessful.

[Flex]

Six days before SporTT got legal advice to pay Daniell second half of $34m LifeSport contract
By Asha Javeed (Express).

$17m CHEQUE OUT

Six days before the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) received legal advice to pay an outstanding $17 million payment to Adolphus Daniell’s EBeam Interact, a cheque had already been made out to him.

Daniell’s cheque for $17 million—the second half of a $34 million payment from the now defunct LifeSport programme to teach Maths and English — was dated February 11, 2014.

SporTT received legal advice from attorney Anja Dass from JD Sellier on February 17 that it “is legally obligated under the contract to issue the remaining balance of the TT$17 million to E-beam”.

It was the second time that JD Sellier had advised SporTT on Daniell’s contract. On January 17, 2014 it had outlined the legal options SporTT had with regard to the contract such as arbitration and re-negotiation of employment terms.

However, despite this, a cheque for the outstanding $17 million was made to Daniell on February 11.

In an e-mail dated February 17, Dass stated: “We suggested that ideally the parties should negotiate terms and conditions of works yet to be done before the payment is made. We further advised that the said payment should be negotiated to be paid in installments based on the works to be done.

“However, given the lack of co-operation on the part of EBeam to meet and negotiate any new terms/condition amended contract until said payment is made to him we advised that SporTT was left in no other option but to pay the contracted balance, given SporTT’s position under the contract.”

The audit into Life-Sport revealed that Daniell was paid $34 million although  no work was done. His $34 million payment was the single biggest payment of the programme for no work unearthed by the Central Audit Committee’s audit into LifeSport.

Daniell has said he has no intention of returning the money.

“The thing about it is, it is a non-issue because the only way under a contract anything is recoverable is if the other party is in default. There was never a single letter of complaint that I was in default of this contract. Not even a phone call,” he has said.

Even as the Express attempts to piece together just who gave approval for the Sport Company to approve Daniell’s contract, the rationale for paying Daniell the entire sum for no work and whether any objection to the contract was raised by permanent secretary Ashwin Creed as the ministry’s accounting officer, documents obtained by the Express show a timeline on how the second $17 million payment was made.

It was former chief executive John Mollenthiel who drafted a note for the board of SporTT to approve the final payment based on his recommendation.

On November 25, Mollenthiel wrote to SporTT chairman Sebastien Paddington noting: “At this time, we are in breach of our contractual obligations and the lack of such payment is adding to delays in the commencement of active teaching (now pushed to February 2014). Subject to your agreement, I’m asking this be circulated via round robin to the board for a decision by close of business tomorrow — i.e. Tuesday, November 26th, 2013.”

By December 2, the note was circulated to the board by SporTT’s corporate secretary Dawn Mohan. The email, in part, stated: “Directors are being asked to indicate whether you approve the recommendation contained in the Board Note by 4 pm on Wednesday 4th December 2013 please.”

Mollenthiel’s note on the “Decision Item” of the “2nd payment to EBeam” observed that: “On account of the delegated financial authority limit of the Permanent Secretary (i.e up to $1 million), the contractual arrangement for these two components are handled by SporTT.”

“By submission of a written synopsis on November 16th 2013, EBeam has, inter alia, reiterated the need for the second payment of $17 million as per contract. The processing of this payment is directly related to the commencement of active teaching, which is now proposed for the first week in February 2013. According to EBeam, any further delays in processing the said payment will serve to further delay the already protracted timeline of February 2014,” noted Mollenthiel.

“The Board is informed that the costs of the contract have been provided for and the sums which are due and owing will be drawn down from the existing loan facility with First Citizens Bank Limited. The Board is further informed that the Bank has recently approved an extension of 45 days on the drawdown period for the loan (previously October 31, 2013.) A brief opinion from SporTT’s Legal Department on the options which are available to SporTT with regard to this request for payment of $17 million is also attached. The opinion supports the CEO’s recommendation to pay the outstanding $17 million as per the obligations set out in the contract between SporTT and EBeam,” he said.

Mollenthiel was interviewed by the Central Audit Committee on July 9 and said he signed the contract to avoid undue delays in the implementation of the literacy component.

“ He said he did not consider the suggested changes to the shortcomings of the contract identified by SporTT legal since he was told that the contract should be ‘loose’, a word he coined as he could not recall the actual word used. He denied that prior knowledge of Mr Daniell’s track record as an educator influenced his decision to sign a ‘loose’ contract. He said another reason for signing was that he always believed Mr Daniell would deliver since he felt that he had an international image to maintain. In hindsight however he believes that he may have been set up and regretted signing the contract. He said he is also astonished at Mr Daniell’s current ‘nit-picking’ behaviour,” the Central Audit Committee’s report into LifeSport stated.

The Express contacted Mollenthiel last week but he declined to speak about the EBeam contract or LifeSport. The Express tried several times to contact him by phone and text massages yesterday but was unsuccessful.

The board of  directors of SporTT are Reynold Bala, Norris Blanc, Nisa Dass, Anyl Gopeesingh, Sabrenah Khayyam, Matthew Quamina, Annan Ramnanansingh, Kent Samlal, Milson Siboo and Harnarine Singh.

[maxg]

"LifeSport’s expenses since 2012 have amounted to about $400 million."
and the focus only shift to 2 people and less than 10 %.  Magician tricks.

[AB.Trini]

Allyuh eh think the PM or the finance minister should have been querying that budget and allocation of spending long before it got to this stage?
If the minister oops former minister blaming he managers when he should be supervising and checking operations then who is the person who should have been checking on his ministry?
Ah wonder if that person would right ah resignation letter to him/herself and resign from leadership as well?

[Football supporter]

It seems to me that the Ebeam contract was poorly written. If the agreement was to pay in two tranches of $17 million, there should have been provision to review the work completed in phase one before phase two was released.

There should also have been a description of minimum targets achieved at each stage with a proviso that should the minimum requirements not be achieved that no more funds would be released until has one is signed off as satisfactory or penalty rebates would be introduced.

You cannot just agree to give a company $34 million without any checks and balances and without any penalty clauses to guard against non delivery. If Ebeam's contract is legally water tight, I don't blame Daniell for keeping the money, as the blame lies with the managers who put together the contract, though, morally, I could not do the same.

[AB.Trini]

It seems to me that the Ebeam contract was poorly written. If the agreement was to pay in two tranches of $17 million, there should have been provision to review the work completed in phase one before phase two was released.

There should also have been a description of minimum targets achieved at each stage with a proviso that should the minimum requirements not be achieved that no more funds would be released until has one is signed off as satisfactory or penalty rebates would be introduced.

You cannot just agree to give a company $34 million without any checks and balances and without any penalty clauses to guard against non delivery. If Ebeam's contract is legally water tight, I don't blame Daniell for keeping the money, as the blame lies with the managers who put together the contract, though, morally, I could not do the same.

----------------------------------------
From a TNT perspective that makes too much sense- it eh have enough bobol that way- that too simplistic.lol
You would think that the terms of agreement would be written up in a way to ensure fee for services are paid upon delivery and measure or assurances that the desired results are met.

[davyjenny1]

What ah backward place.

[royal]

What ah backward place.

Corrupt may be the better word

[Flex]

Roberts: Fire Howai
By CLINT CHAN TACK (Newsday)

FORMER Sport Minister Anil Roberts yesterday rejected a statement by the Finance Ministry that the Life Sport audit was not doctored. In doing so, he demanded that Finance Minister Larry Howai be fired. Roberts also said he is prepared to assist the police in their investigation into the controversial Life Sport programme which cost him his Cabinet post and his seat in the House of Representatives.

“I am ready, willing and able to cooperate. Even the police have been misled by this false report,” he declared. In a statement on Tuesday, the Finance Ministry admitted that two pages of the legal opinion provided by attorney Lisa Solomon, Head Legal at the SPORTT Company, were “inadvertently” omitted.

The Ministry said this was a human lapse and not “a deliberate and insidious act of intent, creating any major flaw in the integrity of the investigation.” In response, Roberts said, “This shows the level of deceitfulness of the Ministry of Finance. It is not a mere two pages that are missing.” He declared this is “an incomplete flawed process that breached all principles of accounting practice, audit and natural justice.”

Roberts said the two pages are critical documentary evidence from a qualified legal mind whose advice flies in the face of the (central audit) committee’s damning, dangerous and false conclusion that $34 million was paid (to Ebeam Interact Limited), despite legal advice to the contrary.”

Saying that neither the Sport Ministry, SPORTT Company nor Life Sport’s management were given the opportunity to respond “to the draft document,” Roberts charged this “is unacceptable at best and fraudulent at worst!”

Reiterating his question about how such a document could have been presented to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to be laid in the House on July 25, Roberts declared, “ This audit is a prime example of incompetence, fabrication and falsehood being given to the highest office holder.”

Responding to Roberts, Finance Ministry officials insisted that Persad-Bissessar did not lay an incomplete report in the House and what was laid was in fact the final report, the officials said the ministry “has undertaken to ensure that corrected copies of the document were distributed to the Prime Minister, Attorney General, Parliament, Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Commissioner of Police (CoP) as well as the Integrity Commission.”

[AB.Trini]

We keep begging  and relying on sponsorship ; this is a national team frig whey the FIFA funding? Whey the government funding? Whey the LIfe Sport funding?

Sometimes we spend all we time watering stones when we ought to water the flowers. Look how much money wasted in so called sports program Shame shame shame
Them little islands laughing - or is there more to it?
Is Charles running a local squad and anther man running a renegade squad?

[Football supporter]

We keep begging  and relying on sponsorship ; this is a national team frig whey the FIFA funding? Whey the government funding? Whey the LIfe Sport funding?

Sometimes we spend all we time watering stones when we ought to water the flowers. Look how much money wasted in so called sports program Shame shame shame
Them little islands laughing - or is there more to it?
Is Charles running a local squad and anther man running a renegade squad?

Every bid national team has sponsorship. Lawd, T&T had $100 million for the wc2006. FIFA money is for designated programmes. Because there is a degree of separation between F.A.'s and governments, the ideal model is to obtain sponsorship and  accrue income generating assets such as a training facility. Our national football suffers from the same woes as Pro League clubs:

Little or no TV rights
Little or no merchandising income
Low match attendance = little or no profit from the gates.
No income from the F.A. Trophy
No stadium ownership

In order for TTFA to be self sufficient, they need to raise the level of support for our national teams. If we get sell outs at our home games, there will be demand for TV coverage and replica jerseys.

However, it is unlikely that TV income will ever amount to much.

Sponsorship of the F.A.Trophy would help, together with collecting gate money. But to do this, the competition must be properly marketed. And to do this would incur costs and further reduce profit or even increase losses.

It really is a difficult task to develop enough revenue to be self sufficient.

[Deeks]

Sponsorship of the F.A.Trophy would help, together with collecting gate money.

This should be the premier knockout. How come TTFA can't get a big sponsor this trophy? Toyota,etc,

[Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/rimQtxzCEbU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/rimQtxzCEbU</a>

[Football supporter]

SporTT board fired
By Asha Javeed Trinidad Express

The Cabinet yesterday fired the board of the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT), which is chaired by Sebastien Paddington.

Cabinet’s action follows the SporTT’s decision to pay off a $34 million contract to educator Adolphus Daniell’s EBeam Interact for work he did not do in the now defunct LifeSport programme.

The board of directors of SporTT were Reynold Bala, Norris Blanc, Nisa Dass, Anyl Gopeesingh, Sabrenah Khayyam, Matthew Quamina, Annan Ramnanansingh, Kent Samlal, Milson Siboo and Harnarine Singh.

Cabinet’s decision was taken on a day the Express’ editorial called for the board to be dismissed and for action to be taken by Attorney General Anand Ramlogan against the directors for breach of fiduciary duties.

Contacted yesterday, Ramlogan said that he had already indicated to the Express that the audit report was under active consideration with a view to restitution of public funds.

“I’ve retained the services of Deborah Peake SC to deal with the matter and rest assured that any claims or recovery of public funds will be vigorously pursued,” he said.

“I was disappointed in the Express’ editorial because I had already indicated my intention which was published in your newspaper but I anxiously await the findings and advice so I can proceed,” he added.

Cabinet’s decision to fire the SporTT board comes one week after former sport minister Anil Roberts  resigned following the public furore over the LifeSport scandal.

Roberts had told the Express he felt the EBeam payment was the tipping point for his exit from politics.

The EBeam contract was highlighted in the Ministry of Finance’s Central Audit Committee’s audit report into LifeSport which has now been forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Integrity Commission, the Commissioner of Police and the head of the Public Service.

In his resignation letter to House Speaker Wade Mark, Roberts has criticised the audit report into LifeSport, claiming it was flawed, especially with regard to the EBeam contract.

The audit revealed Daniell was paid $34 million by SporTT although no work was done. His $34 million payment was the single biggest payment in the programme.

Daniell has said he has no intention of returning the money.

“The thing about it is, it is a non-issue because the only way under a contract anything is recoverable is if the other party is in default. There was never a single letter of complaint that I was in default of this contract. Not even a phone call,” Daniell has said.

The role of the SporTT board has come under scrutiny for not only its decision and defence in awarding the multi-million payment to Daniell but for making the second payment although no work was executed.

The Express has reported that six days before SporTT received legal advice to pay an outstanding $17 million payment to Daniell’s EBeam Interact, a cheque had already been made out to him.

Daniell’s cheque for $17 million—the second half of a $34 million payment   to teach maths and English—was dated February 11, 2014.

SporTT received legal advice from attorney Anja Dass from JD Sellier on February 17 that it “is legally obligated under the contract to issue the remaining balance of the TT$17 million to EBeam”.

The Express reported it was former chief executive John Mollenthiel who drafted a note for the board of SporTT to approve the final payment based on his recommendation. He resigned from SporTT a few weeks ago.

The board has refused to answer questions from the Express on the contract because it was seeking legal advice.

[Tenorsaw]

These are the people that they put into administration in Trinidad.  Anyone surprised of the direction that country is headed?  Book sense and a lack of pragmatism and lack of controls is the norm down there.

[Football supporter]

These are the people that they put into administration in Trinidad.  Anyone surprised of the direction that country is headed?  Book sense and a lack of pragmatism and lack of controls is the norm down there.

Everywhere you look it's friends appointing friends and family. To be fair, I don't blame the board members, I blame the people who appointed them. Then again, I'm not sure who could be appointed to the board who has the necessary qualifications as well as political neutrality. We need to rethink the appointment to boards of public companies.

I guess every country has ambassadors and board chairmen who are selected because they assisted the ruling party in some way, but the actual board should be appointed on merit.

[Bakes]

The DPP needs to apply to the Court for an injunction to freeze the funds in Daniell's account until this matter is settled.

[Mose]

And what if the funds are no longer in his account (i.e. they've been placed in different investment vehicles like stocks or mutual funds, or used to purchase physical assets like buildings or land)? Is that option still possible?