- 2 years ago
A potential multimillion-dollar state land investigation is now on the way as authorities try to make sense of land distributed to several employees of the Land Management Division under the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries.
Senior multimedia investigative journalist and producer Mark Bassant digs deep in this exclusive Tv6 investigation: Hush land.
Senior multimedia investigative journalist and producer Mark Bassant digs deep in this exclusive Tv6 investigation: Hush land.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 It's been 21 years since Christine Pagu's husband
00:10 was promised agricultural land and a plot of residential land
00:15 as part of his Karenie voluntary separation package.
00:19 It was all part of the government's plan
00:20 21 years ago to distribute sprawling state lands
00:24 to some 90,000 ex-Karenie workers across the country
00:28 after the factory shut its doors.
00:30 10 years ago, Christine's husband passed,
00:33 and she became the beneficiary of the land, state land
00:37 that were promised here at Picton and Daby.
00:39 She lives a mere stone's throw away
00:41 from this land that runs parallel to the N2 ring road,
00:45 hoping and waiting that the day will come
00:48 when the lands that were rightfully given to her husband
00:51 can be part of his family's legacy.
00:53 We know as far as Karenie was responsible for this,
00:57 EMBD and Karenie, we know that they
00:59 were the ones responsible of giving us
01:02 our rightful lands, agricultural lands to wake up
01:06 and one plot of land, housing development.
01:08 Jumping hoops and playing the waiting game
01:11 weigh heavily on Christine's mind,
01:13 like so many other families.
01:15 Very sad, sad place for ex-Karenie workers
01:18 to be going through.
01:19 It almost makes us want to cry when
01:21 we think about the ill treatment of ex-Karenie workers.
01:28 Like Christine, Farid Ali's mother
01:30 is in a similar situation.
01:32 Ali's father, who worked at Karenie, died in 2015,
01:35 and his mother became the beneficiary of the land
01:39 here at Exchange in Cuva, which sits
01:41 pretty close to UTD's aviation campus in Camden.
01:45 For years, the state lands have been overrun by grass and weeds,
01:48 seemingly the only inhabitants.
01:51 Ali is perplexed as to why there's
01:53 been no official handover of the land to Karenie workers,
01:57 although all approvals were granted.
01:59 We have been trying, unsuccessful,
02:01 to get these lands to us.
02:03 We are as beneficiaries of these voluntary packages.
02:06 I mean, after he worked for over 40-something years in Karenie,
02:09 bearing all the ills and all the hardship and so on,
02:12 there was a separation, an agreement that was made.
02:15 Sign the documents.
02:19 With their patience stretched, Ali and several family members
02:23 of ex-Karenie workers pounded the pavement
02:26 outside the Ministry of Health's head office in Port of Spain
02:29 a few weeks ago, seeking an explanation.
02:32 The Ministry of Health in a media release
02:34 would later say that there were concerns about the sewer
02:36 lines in that area.
02:37 That was part of that protest.
02:40 We were there looking and trying to get--
02:42 we heard that the documents stopped
02:45 at the Ministry of Health for approvals
02:47 in terms of signing off so that--
02:49 Do you buy that?
02:51 I doubt.
02:51 I don't think so.
02:52 I don't think so.
02:53 I think there's more involved.
02:54 Because what does health have to do with this?
02:56 The lands already passed WASA approvals
02:58 and all these different approvals.
02:59 I don't understand what the Ministry of Health
03:01 had to come to do with this.
03:02 I believe it's stumbling blocks.
03:03 Either by the commissioner of state lands
03:05 or some minister who is involved,
03:07 they are trying to stall the process,
03:09 maybe for their own private gains or what.
03:10 I doubt it by thinking.
03:12 It could be true, my army, and true.
03:13 But if it's not true, bring the documents
03:15 and give us the approval and give us the land.
03:17 Why hold back?
03:18 But a two-month investigation by TV6 News unearthed
03:21 a parallel story of lands given quietly
03:24 to employees of the Land Management Division
03:26 that could create a climate of further unease
03:29 to an already volatile situation.
03:32 On December 9, 2023, Commissioner of State Lands
03:36 Paula Drix, in a memorandum obtained by TV6 News,
03:40 wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture, Land,
03:42 and Fisheries Department Deputy Permanent Secretary Rick
03:45 Alley of intentions to distribute state land
03:48 to employees of the Land Management Division.
03:51 She said, "Under the State Lands Act,
03:55 the Commissioner of State Lands is
03:56 empowered to distribute parcels that
03:59 may be considered infill for optimum land management."
04:04 She added, "The staff of the Land Management Division
04:07 have worked tirelessly over the years
04:09 assisting in squatter containment and land
04:12 management.
04:13 Some of the staff, despite previous applications
04:15 to the Commissioner of State Lands and HSE,
04:18 have been denied access for unexplained reasons.
04:21 As a result, some are literally homeless or close
04:24 to the state of homelessness.
04:26 A few members of staff are actually squatting."
04:29 She added in a letter, "In order
04:31 to remedy this undesirable state of affairs,
04:34 I propose to embark on a program to allocate abandoned and infill
04:38 parcels to the Land Management Division staff,
04:41 starting with most indigent for residential or homestead use.
04:46 An internal application process will be developed,
04:49 and parcels will be offered at preferential terms
04:52 and conditions."
04:53 Close quote.
04:54 When referring to the indigent in a letter,
04:57 it would mean people suffering from extreme poverty.
05:00 The Commissioner of State Lands again
05:01 followed up with another letter addressed
05:03 to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture,
05:06 Land, and Fisheries, Farouk Hussein,
05:08 on December 4, 2023, further justifying
05:12 her reasons for granting infill parcels of land
05:15 to staff of the Land Management Division.
05:17 She said further to meeting with the Ministry's legal team
05:20 and Deputy Permanent Secretary Rick Alley on November 27,
05:24 2023, she was adding further details about a decision
05:28 to grant land to the staff at LMD.
05:31 Drake stated, open quote, "I found staff at LMD
05:34 to be fractured and woefully inadequate in terms of numbers.
05:38 Many had retired, some non-functional,
05:40 and contracts un-renewed, and the distribution
05:43 needed to cover the eight counties
05:45 under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of State Lands.
05:48 As an example, patrolmen who have been traditionally
05:51 been assigned to the county in which they reside
05:54 had been transferred out of their home counties
05:57 and had not been attended to assigned counties
05:59 because of severe financial challenges,
06:02 meeting the cost of transportation to seem.
06:04 In effect, they remained in their home counties,
06:07 signing their register there, as advised by unions,
06:10 and not performing any duties for over two years,"
06:14 close quote.
06:15 However, several senior insiders within the Land Management
06:18 Division stated that while they had no issue
06:20 with the Commissioners of State Lands intentions,
06:23 several questions were cropping up
06:25 involving the process and the criteria for those
06:28 to be given land.
06:30 Insiders in the know, apart from providing documents,
06:33 said at least 80 employees had been given parcels of state
06:36 land in areas such as Picton and D.B., Exchange and Bastia
06:41 Hall in Coover, and also in Canopia.
06:44 Sources say they have already been instructed to go and occupy
06:47 the land and to say nothing to anyone.
06:50 Insiders at the LMD and Ministry of Agriculture
06:52 confirmed that some parcels of land
06:56 had already been allotted to ex-carinee workers
06:58 and other state programs.
07:01 This is one of the areas here in central Trinidad,
07:04 above Stock Hall, that was earmarked
07:06 to be given to carinee workers.
07:08 However, sources within the Ministry of Agriculture
07:11 claim that the Commissioner of State Lands
07:13 has since tried to get approval for residential use
07:17 of these lands, allegedly for employees of the Land
07:20 Management Division.
07:21 However, sources say that the Commissioner of State Lands
07:24 initial attempt was refused by the Town and Country Planning
07:27 Division, and she has since decided to appeal the decision.
07:30 TV6 News was further informed that several senior employees
07:33 of the LMD, including the legal unit that purportedly granted
07:37 the license to the employees of the LMD to obtain the state
07:41 land, were also recipients of state land.
07:44 We are told that some transactions had already
07:47 been finalized with staff members of LMD,
07:50 allegedly paying a $250 processing
07:54 fee for the state land.
07:56 At least three senior employees who already owned a property
07:59 were approached to be given state land,
08:01 but we were told that they refused the offer.
08:04 One senior told us that it did not sit right with them,
08:08 since many of those given the land inside the LMD
08:11 weren't deserving of it and didn't
08:13 fit the criteria of being on the fringes of extreme poverty.
08:17 This was a form that several staff members were
08:20 asked to fill out, and quite strangely,
08:22 question nine asked if they owned state land previously
08:26 and how long.
08:28 But nowhere in the form were they
08:29 asked if they owned freehold land.
08:32 Ultimately, this left a gap for persons
08:35 who already had land to benefit twice or thrice.
08:39 According to insiders at the ministry and the LMD,
08:42 these glaring inconsistencies triggered alarm bells
08:45 as to what criteria were being used to guide the decision
08:49 making process.
08:50 Was it that everyone working at the LMD
08:52 was deemed indigent and suffering from extreme poverty?
08:56 In early March, TV6 News spoke with the Deputy Permanent
08:59 Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land,
09:01 and Fisheries, Rick Alley, who requested
09:04 that we mail our questions to him,
09:06 as well as Permanent Secretary Farouk Hussein
09:08 and the Ministry Communications Department,
09:11 which we did on March 7.
09:12 Commissioner of State Land, Paula Dukes,
09:14 was sent this list of questions via WhatsApp on March 20
09:18 after we'd been trying to make contact since March 7.
09:22 Dukes was asked about some of the land
09:23 being given to employees already marked for ex-carinee workers
09:28 and whether she had embarked on an infill land distribution
09:31 project for all staff at LMD.
09:34 We asked what criteria guided her to make such a decision
09:39 and if granting land to employees at LMD
09:42 took priority over lands to ex-carinee workers.
09:45 Questions were also raised as to whether the cabinet had
09:48 given the requisite approvals to sanction these lands for staff
09:53 according to the law.
09:55 We also asked by what legal instrument
09:57 the land was given, if by license.
10:00 And questions were also raised on how
10:02 these lands were allotted to staff
10:04 in terms of the years of experience,
10:06 as we had learned of OJTs also receiving land.
10:10 Dukes, on March 28, one week after we sent her
10:14 the questions via WhatsApp, responded saying,
10:17 "Please direct your questions to the communications
10:20 unit of the ministry who has been trying to reach you
10:23 since your emails."
10:25 On April 4, we again reached out to the Deputy Permanent
10:28 Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Fisheries
10:30 and Land, Rick Allier, and he told us
10:33 to send a reminder to Permanent Secretary Farouk Houssien via
10:37 email about the questions, which we did on April 7.
10:40 However, no answers to our questions
10:43 were forthcoming after almost a month.
10:46 However, TV6 News obtained an internal document
10:49 that was prepared by the director of the legal unit
10:51 of the ministry, Natasha Houssien-Baksh, which
10:54 outlined the protocols that must be adhered to by the Commission
10:57 of State Lands, Paula Drakes.
11:00 In advising the Permanent Secretary Farouk Houssien,
11:03 the legal director said, "It is my view
11:06 that although Sections 5 and 6 of the State Lands Act
11:10 give the Commission of State Lands
11:11 the power to manage state lands, the Commission of State Lands
11:15 must carry out functions within the general policy
11:18 framework of the government.
11:20 It is therefore suggested that this new policy
11:23 of the Commission of State Land to allocate parcels
11:26 to staff of the LMD should be sanctioned by cabinet."
11:31 Houssien-Baksh, in that correspondence,
11:33 further stated that it was a similar sentiment expressed
11:37 by all ministry officials who were present at the meeting
11:40 with the Commission of State Lands on November 27, 2023.
11:44 She also noted, "At least cabinet should be informed.
11:48 This can be done by a general note on the policy itself
11:51 or by individual notes for the distribution of each parcel."
11:56 Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Houssien,
11:58 and Deputy Permanent Secretary, Sally,
12:00 concurred and believed that a cabinet note should
12:03 be drafted for its consideration on the matter.
12:06 The question then arose, were the lands already
12:09 granted to some staff even before cabinet
12:11 sanctioned this move?
12:13 And was proper protocols even followed?
12:16 The silence of the Commission of State Lands and the ministry
12:19 to provide clarity on these pressing matters
12:21 only provoked more questions than answers.
12:25 Answers that Clarence Rambarat, the special advisor
12:28 to the Prime Minister on State Land Administration,
12:31 provided to us following our queries related to Land
12:34 Management Division staff being given parcels of state land.
12:38 Rambarat didn't mince words.
12:40 He said that it was potentially $100 million
12:43 in state land now under government investigation.
12:47 He said, "I have been following the matter for a while,
12:51 but information, particularly documents, was not available.
12:55 The exercise appeared to be conducted somewhat secretly,
12:58 although there is a point where transaction must
13:01 be officially documented.
13:02 I believe some reached that point
13:04 and moved to physical occupation."
13:07 Close quote.
13:08 Rambarat added, "The government is aware of what is happening,
13:12 and I expect an investigation would be undertaken.
13:15 This is what I have recommended.
13:17 If the data I have seen is true, $100 million of state lands
13:22 is already involved.
13:23 If any of this is true, and I am satisfied that the allegations
13:27 have merit, it means it is a continuation of what I found
13:31 was happening in the 2017-2018 period.
13:35 Based on what I know at this time,
13:37 it raises serious questions about land grabbing,
13:40 conflicts of interest, and a potential landmine
13:44 in the administration of state land,
13:46 since a Land Management Division could be self-dealing
13:49 and creating interests, expectations,
13:52 and land already occupied by people for agriculture,
13:56 for example, or earmarked for distribution
13:59 under state programs.
14:01 Only an investigation can determine
14:03 what is exactly happening."
14:05 Close quote.
14:07 Rambarat also expressed concern that when this story gets out,
14:10 people would attempt to cover their tracks.
14:13 Open quote.
14:14 "Since this operation seems to be secretive,
14:16 I am concerned that any time the cover is blown,
14:20 the existing paper files would disappear,
14:22 and we not know the extent of the allocations which
14:25 have already taken place."
14:26 Close quote.
14:28 Farid Ali had some intuition, like Christine Pagu,
14:30 that something may have been off,
14:33 and made these claims of why there
14:34 was exponential delays in Karenni workers getting
14:37 what they justly deserve.
14:39 "There's run around back and forth between Karenni,
14:41 between the government and politics of the day,
14:43 you know, it's the plane and so on.
14:44 We are hearing things in the grapevine
14:46 that the commissioner of state lands
14:48 is making plea for lands and so on.
14:50 We are hearing there's development
14:52 and the delays at the ministry, different ministry
14:54 to give approval and so on."
14:56 With the spotlight on the state lands for the wrong reasons,
14:59 Ali and Pagu, like so many others,
15:01 are now hoping that the authorities will finally
15:04 open their eyes, and they and the families of hundreds
15:08 of ex-Karenni workers can finally exhale.
15:13 Mark Besant, TV6 News.
15:17 ♪♪♪♪♪♪
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