Ex-Caribbean Sea Works bosses got contracts from NP

Two former directors of Caribbean Sea Works Ltd were part of a company which received contracts from the Government for the transportation of fuel. Caribbean Sea Works Ltd has been named as the shipping company used to export cocaine concealed in fruit juice cans originating in T&T which was seized by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Virginia. 

The shipment, worth $644 million, was smuggled in Trinidad Orange Juice cans which are manufactured by Citrus Growers’ Association. It was discovered at the port of Norfolk. The drugs were seized on December 20 last year. Krishanmurti Mahabir, of 3 Chamroo Branch, Chamroo Trace, Claxton Bay, and Victor Anand Jattan of 53 Lyndon Street, Curepe, were named as directors of Caribbean Sea Works Ltd. Jattan was removed as company director of Caribbean Seaworks in 2007.

Documents obtained by the T&T Guardian from the registrar general’s office show that both Mahabir and Jattan were also directors of the Petroleum Transport Company Ltd, which received contracts from the state-owned National Petroleum Marketing Company Ltd (NP). Jattan’s name was removed from Petroleum Transport Company Ltd list of directors on October 29 last year. 

When contacted yesterday, a senior manager at NP said Petroleum Transport Company Ltd was previously named National Transport Ltd, and had done “excellent work” for NP for a number of years. The manager explained that when the company was sold, the new owners approached NP to reapply for the contracts because they had a longstanding relationship in the past.

When the T&T Guardian visited the Petroleum Transport Company Ltd in San Fernando, yesterday, an employee said Victor Jattan had not been seen in a while. Pressed as to when was the last time Jattan was seen there, the guard said in December last year.

Relatives of Jattan maintained that they too had not seen him in “a while.” They insisted Jattan was not in touch with his family because “we do not see eye to eye.” Asked why there seemed to be a strained relationship, the relatives said they disagreed on a number of issues. Attempts were also made to contact former directors and staff whose names appeared on documents relating to Caribbean Sea Works Ltd, but all efforts were unsuccessful.

In 1995, former House Speaker Occah Seapaul had accused Jattan of defrauding her of $17,000, but that case was eventually dismissed in favour of Jattan.