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pposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday produced documents purporting to show a direct connection between Prime Minister Patrick Manning and former UDeCOTT executive chairman Calder Hart in the design and construction of the Lighthouse of the Lord Jesus Christ Church at the Heights of Guanapo, Arima.
Persad Bissessar said she will send these documents, together with a request for an investigation into possible criminal conduct by the Prime Minister under section 3 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, to the Commissioner of Police (CoP) and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
She also intends to write the Integrity Commission on the matter.
UDeCOTT, in a release to the press last, night denied any involvement in the church. (See Box)
Manning’s spiritual adviser, Juliana Pena, was listed on the documents as being one of the owners of the controversial multi-million-dollar church which is being constructed by the Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) on State lands.
'Evidence': Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and United National Congress (UNC) chairman Jack Warner show pictures of the Lighthouse of the Lord Jesus Christ church at the Heights of Guanapo, Arima during a press conference at the Opposition leader's office on Charles Street, Port of Spain yesterday. -Photo: ANISTO ALVES
Persad-Bissessar, at a press conference yesterday at the Opposition Leader’s office, Port of Spain, presented a bundle of letters as well as architectural drawings which, among other things, showed an ’Outdoor stage project of Prime Minister’s House’ as part of the design.
She also provided documents from Town and Country Planning which showed that approval for the construction of the church was made on the same day Manning named the date for the general election, on April 16.
The documents Persad-Bissessar produced yesterday goes against statements made by Manning as well as Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Teshiera that UDeCOTT was not involved in the construction of the church.
She reminded the media that UDeCOTT had insisted that it had absolutely no involvement in the design of the building or in the construction site and that Nunez-Teshiera, in the Parliament, said that neither UDeCOTT nor NIPDEC had any involvement in the church.
Persad-Bissessar gave the media letters showing otherwise. One set of letters showed architect Stephen Mendes writing to Hart in his capacity as UDeCOTT chairman, outlining details of the church construction.
One of Mendes’s letters, dated February 26, 2010, to Hart showed that Hart had introduced Mendes to Pena in 2005 and that Mendes agreed to do the design for the church, pro bono.
In a letter dated May 2, 2006, from Mendes to Hart, Mendes indicated that he had finished and submitted the architectural/engineering drawings for the church.
In that letter he wrote, ’The structural drawings developed to date are not in accordance with the recent changes made to the architectural drawings as a result of recent PM’s requests. Additionally, they need to be developed in far greater detail’
’Additionally, the consultants need to develop and finalise their general arrangement drawings due to the recent changes called for by the PM, including those related to the residential component appended to the church.’
Persad-Bissessar said to the media:
’Just for clarification, PM means the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr Patrick Manning. According to this letter then, the Hon Prime Minister was providing direction and guidance in the preparation of the architectural/engineering drawings, including a residential component.’
She also provided documents which showed that though Mendes had written to Hart indicating that he had completed his services on the project, his name (Mendes) was used on the application for planning permission for the church.
Persad Bissessar also produced a letter in which Mendes pointed this out to Hart.
’It appears then that somebody fraudulently placed Mr Mendes’s name on the application form and submitted it to the Town and Country Planning Division for approval. That is fraud, another illegal act in Trinidad and Tobago,’ said Persad-Bissessar.
To stress her point of Manning’s involvement with the church, Persad-Bissessar provided drawings prepared by a firm named as the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongii University (Group) Co Ltd. These drawings identified the general contractor as SCG International (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd, Shanghai Construction Group, the company currently building the church.
’What is of great interest to me is the client. The client is listed as UDeCOTT,’ said Persad-Bissessar.
’In other words, the construction drawings were prepared for UDeCOTT and for the use of Shanghai Construction Group! There should really be no surprise there since Shanghai Construction Group was brought into the country to construct buildings for UDeCOTT,’ she added.
She said the church project is listed on the drawings as ’Outdoor stage project of Prime Minister’s House’.
Persad-Bissessar recalled that the Prime Minister’s St Ann’s residence was built by Shanghai Construction Group, and the client then was also UDeCOTT.
’It appears then that the drawings provided here for the ’Outdoor stage project of Prime Minister’s House’ to be built by the Shanghai Construction Group constituted part of the larger plan for the Prime Minister’s residence, as initially designed,’ said Persad-Bissessar.
She said this addition was not built at the Prime Minister’s residence in St Ann’s, instead another outdoor stage building was constructed there by the same Shanghai Construction Group, at a cost of $10 million in 2009.
Persad-Bissessar said she had the drawings and photographs analysed to confirm that the building described in the plans done by Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tongii University (Group) Co Ltd is exactly the same as the building on the site at Aripo, the site of the Church of the Light House of the Lord Jesus Christ Church.
’I have already established that the plans done by Mendes was for a church and that the Prime Minister was involved in its design. The Prime Minister has also admitted to visiting the construction site of the church during construction. Further, I have established that the local plans are mirrored by the comprehensive construction plans done by Tongii University,’ she said.
Persad-Bissessar questioned how a design for a church became the design for an outdoor stage project of Prime Minister’s house, designed by the same company that designed the Prime Minister’s house.
Persad-Bissessar said this was a very serious matter ’which suggests criminal conduct and the abuse of State funds and lands by the Prime Minister of this country for personal gain’.
She also made it clear that contrary to what her opponents were saying ’my stance against Manning’s apparent corruption today is not a negative stance against the Born Again Christian faith, or any other religious denomination for that matter’.
She said there is no truth to allegations that the Christian community will be discriminated against by a People’s Partnership government.
’For the record, I remain now and always, committed to the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, of all my brethren, in every church, mosque, temple or home. I am willing to defend that freedom with my life, ’ she said.
