SHARLENE RAMPERSAD
Youth Development Minister Foster Cummings says the leaking of a Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Special Branch report into his business activities was a “calculated attack” on his character.
At a press conference on Friday at his ministry’s Port-of-Spain head office, Cummings denied the allegations put forward in the document, which was circulating widely on social media yesterday.
The document consists of only two pages – a cover page with the official TTPS Special Branch letterhead and a second page titled “Note Foster Cummings Activities of.” Both pages bore stamps at the top in red ink, proclaiming it “SECRET.”
The document was dated July 5, 2019 and addressed from the Assistant Commissioner Special Branch to the Commissioner of Police.
In it, Special Branch officers listed allegations against Cummings, including that he was affiliated with two construction companies - Pical Services Limited (PSL) and Cyldeon Enterprises Limited (CEL.)
“It was alleged that Cummings had conducted unscrupulous businesses, through the aforementioned companies as well as the Housing Development Corporation (HDC),” the document states.
But Cummings himself discounted its findings yesterday.
“It is clear that this is a calculated attack on my reputation and character, which I denounce in the strongest terms,” he said.
He said before getting into “frontline” politics, he had been a businessman for over 20 years.
“I served as a director of Pical Services Limited, from its inception until 2016 and relinquished all managerial responsibilities upon my appointment as Parliament Secretary in 2019,” he said.
He described the leaked document as “serious, dangerous and inaccurate.” He also questioned the legitimacy of the document.
The leaked document stated Cummings “has claimed three (3) parcels of land belonging to the HDC as his own.”
It went on to list the lands - stating two parcels were located along the Southern Main Road, while the third was located at Ibis Gardens, Point Lisas.
“The allegation that I claimed three parcels of HDC land at Point Lisas Couva is completely false, I own a parcel of land at Balisier Street West, Point Lisas, which was purchased from a private individual,” Cummings said.
Guardian Media was able to obtain a copy of the deed between Cummings and a private party for land located at Balisier Avenue. That deed stated Cummings purchased the 199-year HDC-lease from the woman in 2015 for $750,000.
When asked at the press conference whether the deed related to the property he was describing, Cummings said, “The property I purchased at Balisier Street to which to you referred, that I purchased from Mrs Bartholomew, is at Balisier Street West.”
Asked whether this purchase was done including the 199-year-HDC lease, Cummings said, “As I said, I do not have the document you have in front of you but I did purchase the property from Mrs (*redacted) Bartholomew.”
Asked if he wanted to look at the document, Cummings said, “That’s my comment on that for now.”
He said his wife owns the land on the corner of the Southern Main Road and Balisier Street East, Point Lisas. The land where his family home was built did belong to the HDC, Cummings said.
“All properties owned by my wife and I have been properly declared to the Integrity Commission. Neither, I nor my family has any connection to an HDC property located at Ibis Street Point Lisas,” the minister said.
He also denied the allegation that he had “apparently” used his influence to get sub-contracts for PSL.
Cummings claimed works being done by PSL at the Indian Trail Recreation Ground were being done “pro-bono” to give back to the community where he grew up.
“This attempt to sully my contribution to community development with naked untruths is regrettable, as was the stopping of the work by the Couva Tabaquite Talparo Regional Corporation to the detriment of the community,” Cummings said.
He said PSL has done work in the past for the HDC, as it had a history of doing business with both the Government and the private service.
Cummings also denied he was linked to Clydeon, as the document states.
“I am unaware of any company called “C-lee-deon” as mentioned in the alleged police documents. However, I am aware that Pical Services Limited in the past performed work for a company, Clydon Enterprises Limited. I am also aware that Clydon Enterprises Limited, a limited liability company, was contracted to construct the Indian Trail Community Centre,” he said.
Cummings said he understood that by being in public life, there would be allegations against him but he said he expected those to be accurate and not information “designed to assassinate one’s character.”
