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  • 17 hours ago

A plan according to Ruth Marchan was hatched by Life Sport officials and a senior government official in 2012 to siphon off $8million from the ill-fated programme.

Marchan who was in the belly of the beast spoke in a witness statement to police in 2021 about rigged bids, fake companies and cash payouts one of which helped fund the wedding of a senior government official.

Mark Bassant Senior Multimedia Investigative Journalist and Producer brings you part two of Life Sport Secrets Revealed.




Transcript
00:00By May 2013, Adolfo Staniel had pocketed $34 million from the ill-fated life sport program,
00:26the single largest payout made to any individual, and even with his pockets already stuffed,
00:31Daniel demanded that a technology component be added, one that would earn him an additional $8 million,
00:37according to the Den Life Sport Acting Director of Physical Education and Sport at the Ministry of Sport, Ruth Marchand.
00:43But when he was slapped by a gangsta at a meeting and later threatened Marchand at her office, he then disappeared.
00:50Marchand, in a notarized statement to officers of the White Colour Crime Division,
00:53taken in protective custody in Europe, said there was still $8 million lingering in the system.
00:59We weren't seeing Daniel, so we decided to take this money from the technology component and share the money among ourselves.
01:06This money was released as payment towards the technology component and not to Daniel specifically.
01:11He was supposed to invoice for it, but we took it from him.
01:14We weren't seeing him, so we thought he had gone."
01:17Marchand said the collective agreement was struck up between herself and at least six other persons who worked in the life sport program,
01:24as well as a senior government official, to split up the $8 million during a closed-door meeting held at one of the official's offices.
01:32The lunch was in the name called, and it is a norm.
01:36And it is a norm.
01:37It was a normal practice because of the sensitivity and the nature of discussions we were involved in.
01:42We had that open-door policy to not use much phone or to meet when persons were around.
01:48No text messages, emails or record of this meeting took place.
01:52You wouldn't see that, and it was willful.
01:55You will realize the trend was even with the gangs.
01:57They would come to the office and sit, so to avoid phones and messages, with sensitive aspects of most of the kickbacks,
02:04we met in person in closed-door meetings.
02:06We met back doors similar to the gangs with certain senior officials and politicians."
02:11She said at that particular lunch meeting, they agreed on how the money would be split up.
02:16Because it was $8 million, everybody agreed for a million each.
02:20$8 million is eight persons.
02:22So we identified the eight persons as a group of senior officials who were already part and parcel of the conspiracy to receive kickbacks,
02:30in addition to the $8 million from other companies, except name called, who was a consultant,
02:35so he only received that $1 million and did not benefit from other components in the form of kickbacks.
02:41Names called, who were deliberately left out because they were eating from other companies.
02:45Marshall said, there was an attempt to have now deceased former Deputy Commissioner Winston Cooper,
02:50who was appointed director, at that time, the life support program, become the foreguile in the hatched scheme.
02:57Open quote.
02:58It was attacked by, name called, used, during the kickback that was going on to palm it off on other innocent persons by their signature.
03:05So, by having Cooper, or giving Cooper authority to sign, or giving Cooper authority to sign off $50,000 to sign off on invoices,
03:13it takes him out as, name called, one that certifies correct, corrupt activities, and that was the problem.
03:20Cooper never signed.
03:21He refused to sign off on many things.
03:24That is why he wasn't rehired.
03:26They did not renew his contract because of that.
03:28Close quote.
03:29Martin said the major players were able to keep the scheme close-knit and away from the ears and eyes of the implementation committee
03:35and devised a scheme to pay out the money through companies set up by some of the individuals
03:40or paid through a relative's or friend's legitimate company
03:43and then collect their kickbacks on the back end in cash or a check.
03:48Open quote.
03:49I am the one who did the paperwork and file it.
03:51So, each person submitted to me their favorite company, who they knew was a trustee,
03:55who they knew they would have gotten their million.
03:57That is how it worked.
03:58Companies submitted, some were relatives of the beneficiaries, some were advisors, some were their own directors,
04:04and you would realize for each of them, some of the companies were actually registered
04:08maybe a day or two before they received the job and actually collected the check.
04:13Close quote.
04:14Martin said she engineered a particular company for herself and another senior official within LifeSport
04:19and used a couple who were friends to create that company to siphon the money out of LifeSport.
04:24Open quote.
04:25That company in particular I know was created just for that purpose because she was using other companies prior to that.
04:32Also named called, who was a senior official in LifeSport program, was a partner to a company with his family.
04:38It was one of the companies used for and registered deliberately to get money out of the system
04:42and was used for other components.
04:45Close quote.
04:46Martin said this senior official in LifeSport who registered his own company while working at LifeSport
04:51was a breach of procedure since his company was not on the list of pre-qualified contractors.
04:56Martin said this senior official, who held a high office in the LifeSport program at the time,
05:01was the engine room to facilitate the blatant fraud also through bid rigging.
05:05Open quote.
05:06He assisted with the procurement and the manipulation we used on the file.
05:11So our next point to facilitate the normal procedure with the three quotes for the lowest bidder gets awarded a contract.
05:17All companies were done in the form of bid rigging,
05:19which means family and friends and associate companies were used against the original company highlighted to receive the million.
05:26So the other two companies were deliberately insulated as bidders to be a little under
05:31and each company was guaranteed a commission of 10% but negotiation was done by each person.
05:37For example, name called and I and she already had a rapport where she assisted long before LifeSport.
05:44She would have gotten 10%.
05:45The rest of the cash was given back.
05:47My million she kept and with name of senior official called,
05:51she would have given him the cash not directly but through me.
05:54The next company, for example, was the same format, the bid rigging.
05:58The sub companies were friends and family of named called
06:01and another million went to the senior government official named called
06:05where he told me that around that time was his wedding, name of Caribbean Island called.
06:11Around that time, he, senior government official named called,
06:14did receive his cash from name of senior LifeSport official called about a week before his wedding.
06:19Marchand said that previously, that senior government official had confronted her about the million dollars owed him
06:26while she was running at the national stadium and asked where his money was
06:30and he did not have knowledge that a senior LifeSport official was fronting for him.
06:35Marchand said she assumed that the person who had cashed the check on his behalf had already given him the money.
06:40Open quote, so it seemed that senior government official named called
06:43was not aware that the check was cashed as named called did not inform him.
06:49So he became annoyed and in front of me he called named called
06:52and he asked him to come down to the stadium now and he put down the phone.
06:57When named called came, I went back and was running.
07:00Named called saw me and he asked why senior government official named called wanted to see him.
07:05So I told him that you collected the money and it is on that basis that he wants to see you.
07:11So while I was running, I saw them talking obviously about the money.
07:15Close quote.
07:15Marchand said since it was Saturday, the senior government official contacted her thereafter
07:19and told her the exchange of the million dollars would happen on Monday.
07:23Open quote, I did not see the actual exchange, but it was a normal practice with all kickbacks.
07:28It was normal to have kickback money in those brown envelopes in person at their office with closed doors.
07:34Just to conclude, the other companies, everybody was done in a similar manner,
07:39where commissioners given and they got back 90% in cash.
07:43All companies who front it are culprits too in part of being or assisting with receiving commission
07:48and bid rigging, they call that.
07:50Close quote.
07:51To continue this cloak and dagger operation, Marchand said it was extremely imperative
07:56they maintained backdoor meetings.
07:58Open quote.
07:59In more lay terms, meetings to conspire and to agree to certain kickbacks
08:03and other beneficial material wise that benefited individuals.
08:08To speak backdoor and conspire off the phone, that was the main reason.
08:12So in cases like this, to avoid phone contact and emails.
08:16Close quote.
08:17Marchand said she devised a plan to conceal her money by telling her friend who owned the company
08:21that she passed the money through to purchase a condo in Dago Martin.
08:25Open quote.
08:26She eventually bought a condo to hide my part of the money.
08:29This condo was situated on Mohamed Drive, Dago Martin.
08:32I think she handled everything for me.
08:34I think the condo ended up later in her name and she paid $1 million for it.
08:39I developed a relationship with the daughter of a senior life support official named Kold
08:43and she needed a house.
08:44So I gave her the condo and spoke to my friend who had bought the condo for me to organize it.
08:49But what his daughter wanted was the money.
08:51So the condo was sold and the money was handed over to his daughter.
08:53This sale happened just before Carnival 2017.
08:57Close quote.
08:58Marchand spoke about the senior government official who collected his $1 million to use at his wedding
09:02held in a Caribbean island.
09:04Marchand quote.
09:06He invited all them gang members to his wedding in name of Caribbean Island Kold.
09:10And from what I understand is that they went up to, name of Caribbean Island Kold, with heavy cash.
09:17Marchand revealed that the senior life support official who was termed the engine room for simulating the fraud
09:22purchased a house in Point Forte with his money.
09:25She said another life support official who was bought in by a senior also purchased a fishing boat and engine
09:32and also made a down payment on a house and purchased a vehicle for $360,000 from another senior life support official.
09:41Marchand said, open quote,
09:42None of the items here, nothing was delivered.
09:45There was no scope of works because the agreement was just for submission of companies to get $1 million out per person.
09:52So this is what you're seeing here.
09:54The content and the goods listed is just to satisfy the procedure with regards to passing an invoice,
10:01taking into account the monetary value to sum up to a million.
10:04That is all it is.
10:06Nothing was received.
10:08Next Monday, the multi-million dollar schemes, gangs that bled life support, dry.
10:14Mark Besant, TV6 News.
10:22The two main things that were made by the
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