This my presentation to male students and leaders at North Hall in St Augustine on Thursday, 28 November 2019. The nominal topic was ‘How to curtail corruption‘ but in actuality I would call it ‘State-owned hotels in T&T – a research review‘.
Programme Date: 28 November 2019
Programme Length: 00:51:09
Afra Raymond was a speaker at the 2019 Annual Conference of the Human Resource Management Association of T&T (HRMATT) on Thursday 31st October 2019 at Hyatt Regency. His topic was “Whistleblower lessons – from Gene Miles to 21st Century Management Styles.”
Programe Length: 00:48: 39
Programe Date: 31 October 2019
Afra Raymond talks about corruption with host Keenan Munro on his show ‘People About Nation’. Using examples from the research Afra has done, the conversation delves into the pattern of corrupt practices in the nation from CL Financial bailout to other local issue. Video courtesy Synergy TV
Programme Date: 9 May 2019
Programme Length: 00:44:11
My previous article gave two examples of the stance of our public officials on legal advice and legal fees. I also cited Dr Rowley’s statement to Parliament on 1 July 2016 which gave details of the $78.5M in legal fees spent at the Colman Enquiry into the collapse of CL Financial.
The details in the PM’s voluntary disclosure of those Colman Enquiry legal fees was contrasted with the plain reluctance of certain Public Officials to disclose similar details to me in relation to the CL Financial bailout. The evasions of the Ministry of Finance to resist my litigation were all taken under the advice of eminent Senior Counsel, no doubt highly-paid.
The central Republican value, has to be that none of us are lawfully entitled to the obscene privileges which prevailed in the bad old days. In fact, the distinctive thing about a Republic is that there are no more Earls, Lords, Ladies, Kings, Queens, Barons or Princes – save and except for Carnival Time. But those Republican ideals are being experienced in an individualistic and status-obsessed society. Continue reading “Legal Fees Dis-ease”
Are we seeing a rising tide of corruption scandals, or an increase in the level of public awareness and demands for transparency? Marla Dukharan and Afra Raymond discuss:
“…There is a temptation to let the lying dogs sleep…”
—Sikka, Premm. “HMRC is in thrall to big business. It can no longer do its job.” The Guardian. 8 September 2016“The Upholder is worse than the Thief”
—from the defunct Trinidad & Tobago value system, decades ago…
The reported statements of the PM and Minister Sinanan on this cost reduction of about $300M achieved for the Curepe Interchange project and the alleged role of corrupt engineers in that process are ones I welcome. Any savings of scarce Public Money are to be welcomed, whatever the political administration. That said, those recent statements are necessary but not sufficient.
These points are here to set the table –
Continue reading “Property Matters – The Curepe Interchange”
This is my interview with Abby Martin, a journalist working on behalf of the [Peter] Allard Prize Foundation, on the scope of my work with a focus on my anti-corruption work. Ms. Martin compiles videos with select nominees for the Allard Prize for International Integrity, of which I am one.
The anti-corruption discourse in our country usually rationalises the failure or refusal to prosecute any important persons for corrupt acts as being a result of our small size. After all, everyone has a friend who will see for them. Those friends will warn them, lie for them, forget for them or even lose a file or two for them. We have all had these frustrating discussions and wondered if we can ever muster the will or the wits to lock-up the important people who regularly commit acts of grand corruption.
When one considers the global news on this anti-corruption struggle, it is clear that in some substantial way the tide has turned. In a variety of countries, the citizens have become so outraged at the damage that large-scale corruption has done to their societies that the authorities there have now started to take decisive action against this scourge. It all makes me wonder when is the Caribbean going to catch-up with the rest of the world in punishing these destructive acts. Continue reading “Does Size really Matter?”
Caribbean Economist Marla Dukharan and leading Trinidadian Transparency Activist Afra Raymond will discuss the recently-released Corruption Perception Index via an interactive webinar:
or click here
My focus has been on grand corruption, the large-scale acts of fraud which endanger the very stability and rationale of our society and its key institutions. No act of grand corruption is possible in isolation. The only way to steal these large amount of money is to have the collaboration of responsible officials and professionals, who either look the other way or actively assist in the looting.
That was the case in Eden Gardens and the other episodes covered thus far. None of these acts of grand corruption would have been possible without the intentional help of professionals such as attorneys, engineers, accountants or even surveyors. Our current private and public sector systems rely on the professional standards and ethics of those professionals to ensure value for money. Continue reading “The Ethics Gap – part four”
AfraRaymond.net 