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  • 1 year ago
The National Security Minister told the Parliament today that the Dutch police are probing a $200 million finder's fee for the Damen vessels purchased for the Coast Guard in 2014, under the People's Partnership led government.

And the Minister also said the two larger Coast Guard vessels purchased by the present PNM-led government are to return to active service by the end of this month.

Juhel Browne reports.

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Transcript
00:00Voluntary Assembly Member Saddam Hussein sought clarification from National Security Minister
00:05Fitzgerald Hines during the Standing Finance Committee's examination of the 2025 budget
00:10on Friday about an allocation for the Coast Guard.
00:14With respect to line item 52, integrated support services for the naval assets of the Trinidad
00:20and Tobago Coast Guard, $100 million allocated, $75 million spent.
00:26In relation to the context of the Prime Minister giving us a statement yesterday that one particular
00:31vessel had to be decommissioned, can the Minister give us an update as to the state of the repairs
00:36of the remaining vessels?
00:39Minister Hines recalled what Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said during the budget debate
00:43in the House of Representatives on Thursday about the decision by the UNC-led People's
00:48Partnership Administration to scrap the acquisition of three large offshore patrol vessels which
00:55were acquired during a previous PNM administration.
00:59A vessel known as CG-60, so labelled by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, which was
01:07purchased I think around 2012 following a visit by the then Prime Minister of the People's
01:17Partnership to China, purchased that vessel for $32 million US dollars.
01:24And this is what the Prime Minister reminded us yesterday, that that vessel is now dysfunctional.
01:32It was never fit for purpose.
01:34Minister Hines said the hull of that vessel is questionable. As he also said, a foreign
01:39law enforcement agency has questions of its own about the Daman vessels purchased for
01:46the Coast Guard in 2014 during the People's Partnership Administration.
01:52And Madam Chair, the Dutch police would have contacted the government to indicate that
01:57even in that transaction for the purpose of purchase of those vessels, there was some
02:02discovery of corruption. A finder's fee was paid to somebody of $200 million and they
02:09were able to seize $100 million. And that investigation is still underway. Bubble, corruption
02:17in its purchase by the then government.
02:21Minister Hines said the government has just contracted with Daman to recertify and make
02:26serviceable again all of those vessels. MP Hossain, on behalf of the opposition, returned
02:32the Standing Finance Committee's attention to the vessels purchased for the Coast Guard
02:37by the present PNM administration.
02:40These are two of the hostile vessels that were purchased by this government. And they
02:44were commissioned in 2021. That I am now being informed that the hull on the vessels were
02:50in fact affected. These vessels have been out of commission since February this year.
02:57They have purchased these vessels for almost $1 billion.
03:01Minister Hines identified the source of his response as the information provided to him
03:05by the experts who operated those vessels in the Coast Guard.
03:08There is no question, no issue around the hull of those vessels. Those vessels, like
03:14other vessels, require service, as I have just explained, in respect of the Daman vessels.
03:20And they are now undergoing some level of maintenance and service. We have refreshed
03:26a contract with Hostile for their maintenance. And we expect both those vessels to be back
03:32in the water in support of the people of Trinidad and Tobago by the end of this month.
03:37The National Security Minister said the two hostile vessels were made to work more than
03:42they ordinarily would by the Coast Guard in the absence of the Daman vessels.
03:47Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
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