A massive corruption litigation that dates back over 20 years and involves former high-ranking officials have been resolved in favor of Trinidad and Tobago’s government with a multimillion-dollar judgment.
A jury in Miami found in favor of the government and issued a judgment late on Wednesday that included more than $100 million in compensatory damages. The civil dispute was started in 2004 when the government of Trinidad and Tobago filed lawsuits against a former finance minister, several businesspeople, and several corporations in places including Florida, Panama, and Portugal.
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“We got everything that we asked for,” Former Trinidadian attorney general Faris Al-Rawi, who defended the government in the lawsuit, told The Associated Press (AP), “This represents restitution to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”
He noted that the funds may be utilized to finance healthcare or the construction of schools.
The lawsuit claimed that the defendants took part in an illegal scheme to obtain consulting and construction contracts at exorbitant prices starting in August 1996 through the use of bribes, bid rigging, and money laundering associated with an expansion of the Piarco International Airport in the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-Spain.
When the trial started earlier this month, just three defendants were left: former finance minister Brian Kuei Tung and two businesspeople. The lawsuit originally targeted 56 defendants, including 11 individuals and 12 corporate organizations. However, several struck bargains throughout the years.
Michael Garcia, Tung’s lawyer, announced that he intends to appeal the decision, arguing that the government lacked legal authority to file the lawsuit and that Trinidad’s Airport Authority ought to have been the proper plaintiff.
In an email to the AP, he stated, “These defendants were not responsible for any losses Trinidad & Tobago contends it sustained.”
Al-Rawi asserted that the government will pursue individuals with the most financial resources, pointing that one of the businessmen who was sued also controls a significant insurance provider in Trinidad and Tobago that only just made a $1 billion acquisition offer for a rival local firm.
A triumph for the government’s anti-corruption initiatives, the decision was reached 19 years after the civil lawsuit was initially brought in the Florida 11th Circuit Court. The trial started on March 6.
As crucial witnesses passed away and prosecutors dropped charges, related criminal proceedings in Trinidad in which prominent former officials were charged have languished or faded.
A former prime minister, his wife, and an ex-cabinet minister were among the almost two dozen persons who were first charged in Trinidad with taking bribes from a local businessman.
Former finance minister Brian Kuei Tung was one of the defendants in the lawsuit that the government ultimately prevailed. It was unable to instantly get in touch with his lawyer for a response.
The US government brought various criminal complaints, including ones for bank fraud and money laundering, against some of the same individuals in 2005. Despite certain accusations being dropped, several defendants were found guilty and given six-year jail sentences. Others have appealed, including two businessmen from Trinidad, and their cases are still pending with the US legal system.
