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THE State is soon to start legal action against former Government minister Dr Roodal Moonilal over allegations of bid rigging with respect to some ten contracts through the Estate Management and Business Development Company (EMBD) in 2015.

Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Stuart Young disclosed yesterday that Government has also, through the Estate Management and Business Development Company (EMBD), filed claims in the court against five contractors for alleged “cartel” arrangements and attempts to defraud.

Those claims were filed last Thursday.

The contractors - TN Ramnauth and Company Limited, Mootilal Ramhit and Sons Contracting Limited, Kallco Company Limited (Kallco), Namalco Construction Services Limited (Namalco) and Fides Limited (Fides) – have, according to Young, been found to have colluded to defraud the State of over $200 million through bid-rigging and contracts with inflated costs.

“Whichever company I work with will win the tender.” “So it's best to work with me..It's our people on the board, the board is my Government...Yeah, I'm telling you there are no other persons that can get the contract for those buses.” These were two of the statements made during an alleged telephone call which was taped between a man with a Trinidadian accent, who, the person at the other end repeatedly addressed as Harry.

Prominent south businessman Harry Ragoonanan says he plans to challenge to his suspension from the People’s National Movement (PNM). He is insisting that the ruling party removed the wrong man and is linking the action against him to information he dug up related to the collapse of the seabridge service.

What’s so special about Faris Al-Rawi?

In the face of Government MP Marlene McDonald being axed and long-standing People’s National Movement (PNM) member Harry Ragoonanan being suspended over corruption allegations, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked this question yesterday, as she called for Al-Rawi to resign or be fired.

Mark Adams, the man who claims Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi conspired with him to wiretap the offices of United National Congress (UNC) Senator and attorney Gerald Ramdeen, says he was offered a $100,000 bribe to surrender a cellphone allegedly containing text messages between the AG and himself.

He also admitted that he does have a criminal record, having been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking when he was younger and for which he served two years at the Maximum Security Prison.