Apologise

Tobago Correspondent

Former Tobago House of Assembly (THA) chief secretary Ancil Dennis is calling on current Chief Secretary Farley Augustine to stop wasting taxpayers’ money and admit that he made a mistake in the zipline case.

“End this witch hunt and pursue the matter as a breach of contract case,” Dennis, leader of the Tobago PNM Council, said yesterday.

He also called on Augustine to apologise to former political leader of the Tobago PNM Council Tracy Davidson-Celestine and others who were accused.

On Friday a court ruled that the THA was wrong to say a company involved in the failed zipline project committed fraud. The court found that the THA made an error when it said the company was fake. Instead, the issue was that the project was not completed, even though money was paid.

Dennis said the THA should stop chasing fraud claims and focus on getting back the money by proving a breach of contract. He also wants the THA to apologise to those it accused.

In 2015, the then PNM-led THA signed a deal with a company, Original Canopy Tours Enterprises Ltd, to build a zipline in the Main Ridge Forest Reserve.

The THA paid around $2.5 million and the project was expected to be completed within seven weeks of materials arriving on-site but the zipline was never constructed.

In 2021, the THA, then led by Dennis, filed a lawsuit against the company for breach of contract, seeking to recover the money but in 2022, after the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) took office, Augustine claimed the company was fake and reported the matter to the police for fraud.

Dennis said the fraud accusation was based on bad information.

“The court not only rubbished the claims of fraud made by the THA, but it said the case was built on an incorrect business search and the fact that the project was not delivered,” he said.

The court ruled that not completing the project did not mean fraud was committed. Instead, it was a contractual issue.

Dennis said the THA received proof that the company was legitimate but still pursued fraud claims. He wondered why Augustine kept pushing the fraud narrative even after being shown evidence that the company was real.

“Why would the THA, having received the actual registration documents, continue this case for two years based on a fantasy that the company was a ghost company?” Dennis asked.

In a social media post, Augustine announced plans to appeal the ruling but Dennis says this is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

“What needs to be done is for the THA to look at the evidence it has. This fraud case was a wild goose chase,” he said.