Why Ken Julian blocking UTT Corruption investigation?

[TheLight]

This is unacceptable why Ken Julian spending taxpayers money and not accounting for it,


'Walls' blocking Julien sleuth

10 months after financial investigation started...

Camini Marajh cmarajh@trinidadexpress.com


Sunday, October 21st 2007



under probe: Ken Julien

The Integrity Commission probe into allegations of financial impropriety involving Chairman of the Board of Governors and President of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Prof Kenneth S Julien has been hamstrung by an artificial and bureaucratic wall that has prevented Ag Assistant Commissioner of Police, Wellington Virgil, from conducting a proper investigation, sources have disclosed.

And now, ten months after Virgil was tasked to investigate the management practices of UTT's top boss, close friend, and former business partner of Energy Minister Dr Lenny Saith, direct pressure is being brought on the Integrity Commission to close off the Julien probe.

The Sunday Express understands that the Integrity Commission investigators were told to put up a finding or close off the Julien probe following complaints that the delay in wrapping up the investigation has caused "distress" and "disruption" to Prof Julien and the State-funded university.

Sources, speaking on condition of strict anonymity, told the Sunday Express that Julien and the UTT used a series of manoeuvres to block the Integrity investigation probe for six months. The delaying tactics ranged from a demand to know what the complaint being investigated was to the identity of the complainant and finally on the old fall-back position that the UTT was not subject to the Integrity in Public Life legislation.

For long months, the Commission's investigations, led by the ex-Special Branch policeman, was denied access to UTT's books and accounting records. And even after investigators were finally allowed access to some of the books, they were barred from interviewing UTT staff. Integrity Commission Chairman John Martin admits there were some hurdles getting the investigation off the ground but yesterday noted that: "It is still proceeding."

It is the "how" that worry insiders, who wondered why the Integrity Commission has so far failed to use the full force of the Act to make Prof Julien and the UTT compliant. Sources said there continues to be a lot of tooing and froing with the professor always out of reach of the investigators.

Virgil was not immediately available for comment but insiders report that he is frustrated by the wall of bureaucracy thrown up by Julien and his attorneys and the failure of promised resources to the Commission's poorly-staffed Investigations Department.

Virgil, the Integrity Commission's chief investigator, received a formal brief to probe allegations contained in a November 2006 Sunday Express Special Report on the Julien-run UTT. After several threats of litigation following the first in a series of articles, Julien sued the paper in February this year.

And while the lawsuit effectively serves as a gag, an ongoing Sunday Express investigation has found that Julien has a US$4.2 million bank account in the Guernsey Island managed exclusively by the Trust Fund, HSBC International. It is understood that the Guernsey account generates over US$200,000 a year in interest payments.

On Monday, High Court Judge Judith Jones ended the debate on whether companies like UTT were exempt from the declaration of filing requirements of the Integrity legislation. She ruled that members of the boards of all statutory bodies and State enterprises, including those bodies in which the State has a controlling interest, were caught by the Act.

In 2005, the UTT mounted a legal challenge to the Integrity in Public Life Act insisting that its status as a non-profit company made it exempt from the filing requirements of the Act.

The Julien-run UTT has so far failed to account to parliament on the use of hundreds of millions worth of public funds.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl ... =161220229 (http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161220229)

[citizen]

Why has no one responded to this post, or at least contributed some additional thoughts?
The fact of the matter is that we all know the truth - corruption, corruption, corruption.
Shame on UTT, its founder, its collaborators, its directors, its Board of Governors, its President, ....
I know some of the UTT directors - perhaps someone should do some investigative journalism and expose the intricate and inextricable connections with the PNM.

[gaia]

Do we need to reply? We all know its PNM corruption and amny of us like it so. We create our own heaven or hell!!

[TheLight]

perhaps someone should do some investigative journalism and expose the intricate and inextricable connections with the PNM.

Well Read this....


The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) which has already received well over $500 million worth of public funds is not subject to public scrutiny.

Further, its Chairman of Board of Governors and President, Prof Kenneth S Julien has not disclosed any information about the new State-funded university in his 2005 filing of registrable interests to the Integrity Commission although he is paid a professor salary by UTT.

Sunday Express investigations into the Julien-created, State-endorsed UTT found reports of high spending, the creation of a web of companies with cross directorships and contracts linking back to associated Julien companies, lease of a US$4,000 a month luxury La Riviera apartment, million-dollar scholarship grants for PhD engineering degrees overseas and a clear attempt to put the UTT outside the reporting reach of both Parliament and the Auditor General.

The professor has flatly denied the reports, insisting that there is transparency in the conduct of UTT's business and that the university's audited accounts get to the line minister, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education. Sources counter that there are no audited accounts.

In a five-page response to a list of faxed questions from this reporter, Prof Julien slammed suggestions that he was running UTT as though it was his private fiefdom. He complained of "several errors, misconceptions and blatant misconformation" contained in the Sunday Express-submitted questions.

He was clear that UTT was set up by a decision of the government which appointed all members of the Board of Governors. "As such, UTT is effectively owned by the GOTT, which controls the membership of the Board," according to Zameer Mohammed, Julien's senior manager, Business Development at UTT.

Sunday Express investigations, however, found that that is not entirely true. Two years ago, the Manning administration, making good on a political promise to reform the tertiary education system launched UTT with much pomp and ceremony. But privately, it was set up as a non-profit, non-transparent company with Professor Julien as the "incorporator/director".

A review of the company records shows that the UTT was incorporated on September 14, 2004, with three named directors: the professor, Robert Riley, chairman and chief executive officer of energy giant, BPTT and Ian welch, managing director of PCS Nitrogen Trinidad Ltd and president of the Port of Spain Chamber of Commerce.

This picture would change, however, with the retroactive appointment 17 months later of Corporation Sole as a "founder member" of the university.

There is no explanation for the absence of government's involvement in the UTT until February 7, this year but a confidential letter to Julien by Martin Daly,the attorney on record involved in the formation of UTT, made clear that the company must have shareholders and in the case of government-owned companies, he identified the usual shareholders as the Minister of Finance Corporation Sole and a public servant.

More revealing, however, was this bit of advice given to the professor by Daly, which was dispatched on March 21,

2005. "With regard to the position of the directors under the Integrity in Public Life Act, compliance with that legislation is required in respect of bodies in which the state has a controlling interest. The presence of other shareholders with the same voting power as the State shareholder should negate the application of the Integrity in Public Life Act to the university".

The February 7, 2005 amendment to the articles of incorporation, filed by Corporate Secretary Errol Ashby also contained a limitation clause, restricting Corporation Sole to the appointment of only five of the 15-member Board of Governors. It also changed the name of UTT to "The UTT".

But Mohammed, in what the Professor termed "immediate responses" to the Sunday Express-posed questions, was firm that "GOTT controls the membership of the Board". The question of who controls what at UTT was further confused by this statement contained in the university's draft financial accounts for the 11-month period ended July 31st, 2005. "The company has no authorised share capital, however contributions have been made by government bodies in Trinidad and Tobago".

Julien's only response to questions relating to the shareholding structure of UTT was that it is government-owned. A claim not reflected in the official company records.

UTT has in fact failed to comply with the provisions of the Companies Act. Up to last week, there was no annual return on record disclosing the shareholding structure of the Julien-run university.

His June 2006 declaration of interests to the Integrity Commission for the previous year was equally bare on UTT-related information. Prof Julien listed directorships on the board of E Teck (tasked with developing UTT's promised campuses and other technical and industrial parks), the National Energy Corporation (NEC), his private company Kenesjaj Systems and P.R. Investment, both with registered offices at Orange Grove Road in Tacarigua, which has an old organic link to Trintoplan Consultants Ltd, a project management company in which the professor and

Public Administration and Energy Minister, Dr Lenny Saith were buddies and former business partners.

He declared a beneficial interest in properties at 59, 60 and 62 Hilltop Drive, Champs Fleurs (His residence), Lot 66 Hilltop Drive and Lot 2D Sangre Grande, Toco Road. Under the heading, "Salaries, Dividends and Interest"-Item 9, Form B of Julien's filing to the Integrity Commission on source of funding, Julien lists HSBC Management, an international Trust Fund, RBTT, GOTT and Kenesjay Systems.

Nothing in his Integrity Commission filing suggests that he receives full professor's pay from UTT or a UTT purchased and maintained Volkswagon Toureg. And while he identified Kenesjay Systems in June 2006 as a source of income, the company records show that he ceased being a director in his private company the previous year, June 30, 2005.

The directors named in the last annual return filing on record for Kenesjay (at October 18, 2005) are Emile Stephen Charles, Trevor Michael Boopsingh, Michael George Toney and his wife, Patricia Ann Julien. The professor denied reports received by this newspaper that UTT footed a $2.8 million refurbishment bill to spruce up the Kenesjay Building to accommodate UTT's latest administrative office where it is now based.

Mohammed defended the UTT upgrade of the Kenesjay Building, insisting that the renovation cost was a modest $30,000 notwithstanding financial accounts seen by this reporter which put the figure closer to the $2.8 million mark sources say was actually spent to spruce up the building at the rear of the Trintoplan grounds. No explanation either why UTT continues to maintain a corporate office at the TTMA Building in Barataria and pay an additional monthly rental of $9,000 for the Kenesjay site. There was also no response to conflict of interest questions on the issue.

Julien's main man of business denied reports that UTT's signature building at Tamana InTeck Park was $12 billion. He said the actual figure will be made public at the sod-turning ceremony. No date was mentioned. Mohammed also made clear that Professor Julien has no knowledge of a company called Pan American Development Co. or its connection to UTT, Alutrint or E Teck.

Sunday Express investigations, however, turned up a company called Pan American Development Co Ltd in which the professor is a director along with Venezuelans Alfredo Rivere Villamizar and Renda Butler. The company's registered address is listed as "Corner Priority Bus Route and Orange Grove Road, Tacariga".

The two Venezuelans are named directors of Alutrint Ltd, a joint venture aluminium smelting company between Sural CA and government. Professor Julien was a director in Alutrint up to May 18 last year. His son, Philip Julien, is Alutrint's project development manager Messrs Villamizar and Butler are also directors of Alutech Ltd, another joint venture deal between the government and Sural CA. Alutech was set up to control the downstream end of the aluminium smelting business, primarily an aluminium wheel manufacturing facility. Julien is a director of Alutech along with Prakash Saith, president of NEC and brother of Dr Saith.

The Ken Julien deals next week
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl ... =161057268 (http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161057268)

[saltwater]

Why has no one responded to this post, or at least contributed some additional thoughts?
The fact of the matter is that we all know the truth - corruption, corruption, corruption.
Shame on UTT, its founder, its collaborators, its directors, its Board of Governors, its President, ....
I know some of the UTT directors - perhaps someone should do some investigative journalism and expose the intricate and inextricable connections with the PNM.
Because it is not about Jack, Panday or the UNCA.

[lou_uk]

Anybody not seen as opposition will be guilty before proven innocent of course.
Prof Ken Julian served a public notice on Camini Marajh and the Express LTD on Wednesday for damages arising out of these articles.

Twice in one week, the lady has turned out to be a liability. Wonder what was the criteria for awarding her an Honourary Doctorate, knowing that MATT had no part in that recommendation.