Patriotic claims ‘interference’ from Young; wants new refinery bidding process

The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union’s (OWTU) Patriotic Energies Company Limited is demanding that the bidding process to acquire the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery be scrapped due to what it alleged reeks of government interference.

It said the bidding process should be an independent one.

Patriotic is also challenging the Energy Minister to make his fraud allegations in the public domain, away from the cover of parliamentary privilege.

Yesterday, moments after Minister Stuart Young claimed Patriotic was yet to address his assertion that the company attempted to buy the Point-a-Pierre refinery using a fraudulent document, the company fired back with its third media release in two days.

Earlier yesterday, Minister Young told Guardian Media, that in spite of two media releases from the company on Saturday, “Patriotic Energies has NOT answered, nor have they addressed the issue of providing a fraudulent document purporting to be a wire transfer of US$1.5 billion.”

And while Patriotic had initially told Guardian Media that it believed the minister’s concerns were addressed in its media releases on Saturday, a few hours later Patriotic responded to Young yet again.

This time in a media release titled, Patriotic Demands’ the scrapping of the unfair, biased and tainted bid process, Patriotic said, “the statement made by Mr Young was misleading, mischievous, and acutely calculated to justify Patriotic being denied being selected as the preferred bidder.”

Given what was said in Parliament last Friday, Patriotic said it, “is of the clear perception that there was ministerial overreach and interference in what was supposed to be an independent process.”

According to its latest media release, Patriotic is now demanding that there be, “the immediate scrapping and a complete redoing of the entire bidding process in the interest of fairness, transparency, equality in treatment and independence of governmental interference.”

Patriotic reiterated what was sent in its second response to Young which was delivered late Saturday evening.

Patriotic said in May it submitted a non-binding proposal identifying three potential financiers. However, in August it eliminated all three after doing its own due diligence where it could not substantiate the financiers’ proof of funds. It claimed a new financier was sent to Scotiabank International for consideration by the evaluation committee handling the sale of the refinery.

Patriotic went on to say that later in August, representatives of the company along with the new financial partner met with the evaluation committee and presented its financial plan. It said no concerns were raised by the committee and underscored that at no time did it submit any documents from the three former potential financiers. Therefore, Patriotic said whatever document the minister brandished in Parliament last Friday to support his claim that a fraudulent document was sent to the committee is “totally irrelevant.”

Patriotic believes with that clarification now in the public domain, the evaluation committee should reverse its decision and reassess its documentation, thus allowing them to remain in contention to own and operate the refinery.

However, in response to that Minister Young claimed the company was still evading the main issue and should unambiguously state if there was ever a document submitted by them to the committee that indicated a purported wire transfer of $USD1.5 billion.

Young said, “Consider the implications of such a fraudulent document in support of financial wherewithal and ask yourself what are the consequences of such an action and fake document. What would you do?”

Meanwhile Patriotic said it once again, “categorically and vehemently rejects the minister’s statement as downright malicious vexatious and patently misleading aimed at injuring and inflicting harm to Patriotic’s reputation.”

Patriotic is now challenging Minister Young, “to remove himself from the cover of parliamentary privilege and state in the public domain that Patriotic submitted fraudulent documents for evaluation to the Cabinet-appointed evaluation committee.”

Last Friday Minister Young said he was prepared to make these statements outside of Parliament.

Patriotic concluded its latest statement by saying, “Patriotic wishes to state that on all occasions, including in the last non-binding bid process; that Patriotic is absolutely confident that the company met the requirements and, therefore, for yet another time, stands ready and able to deliver the restart and operation of the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery for the benefit of all the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

The chosen bidders for the refinery were also revealed by the Finance Minister during the Budget presentation and include CRO Consortium, a Trinidad-based group made up of DR Commodities Ltd, Chemie-Tech and Ocala; US-based iNca Energy LLC; and Nigeria-based Dando PLC.

These selections were made by Scotia Capital (USA) and an evaluation committee.

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