SporTT wins $30m judgment for Life Sport contract

EIGHT years after the now deceased Adolphus Daniel, then owner of eBeam Interact Ltd, defiantly declared that he would not return a cent of the $34 million paid by the Sport Company (SporTT) for work undelivered under the controversial Life Sport programme, SporTT has won a judgment against the company for $30 million, plus interests and costs.

The ruling was announced by the Ministry of Sport and Community Development on August 21, ten years after then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar scrapped the programme. Reading an audit report on the programme in July 2014, Persad-Bissessar said it was fraught with irregularities including lack of adhering to proper procurement practices, overpaying for good and services and possible fraud. The report also said “there may be criminal elements in positions of supervision and coordination within the programme.”

Former sports minister Anil Roberts conceptualised the programme, which was supposed to target at-risk youths teaching them various trade skills, sports and an educational element.

Roberts resigned as an MP and minister soon after but vehemently denied any wrongdoing. He condemned the auditors for not allowing the relevant parties to respond to the findings.

In a brief statement on August 21, the Ministry of Sport and Community Development and SporTT said they “remain committed to upholding the prudent management of public funds and will continue to pursue all appropriate legal avenues to protect the interests of the Government and the people of TT.”

Daniel, a former St Mary’s College teacher and head of Daniel Educational Institute, died on March 21, 2021 in Tobago.

His company was given a contract in the Life Sport programme for the implementation of literacy, numeracy and integrated technology components.

At an October 6, 2016 press conference, a fiery Daniel blamed SporTT for the programme not getting off the ground. He also threatened to sue newspapers, radio and TV stations for claiming his company was paid $34 million for no work done.

Daniel said he wrote letters to SporTT complaining about obstacles being faced and said he even threatened to sue the sporting body over the absence of the prerequisites. He said the classrooms were woefully unequipped for his programme.

“It has become ironical that the party which has already been paid in full is the one that is pursuing the other party which made the payment,” Daniel wrote to then SporTT chairman Sebastien Paddington on April 28, 2014.

He also said the money paid was trivial and inadequate when considering the quality of the programme, which included animations to teach Mathematics.

“$34 million is a jingle in a piggy bank. That is no money. $34 million is noise,” he told the media.

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