T&T Govt official, UK gangster in secret deal

T&T Govt official, UK gangster in secret deal
Scrutiny over ties to money laundering, arms trafficking and drug smuggling...

A CLANDESTINE business arrangement between a gangster from the Uni­ted Kingdom and a senior Trinidad and Tobago Government official allegedly linked to money laundering, arms trafficking and drug smuggling is now being closely monitored by local and foreign law enforcement officials.The gangster, who is ori­ginally from T&T but has dual citizenship and has lived in the UK for several years, is suspected of being one of the Seven Gang’s primary financiers.For years, he allegedly used his network of shell companies to avoid detection while directing unlawful activities in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.In some cases, parts of these reports were shared with CCN, outlining his “long arms” in this country and across the globe.These reports pointed to coordinated smuggling acti­vities and a complex web of financial transactions spanning North America, Europe and the Caribbean.

There, a startling discove­ry was made: a high-ranking T&T Government official was identified as one of two directors of a company formed on September 15, 2023.The other director of the company, who was listed first, was the Seven Gang’s principal financier.Shareholding in this particular company was equally held by the Government official and the gangster, the document indicated.Ten months later, on July 17, 2024, the high-ranking Government official ceased to be a person with cons­iderable control while also terminating his appointment as director of the corporation, according to the documents obtained by CCN.The lone director and shareholder then remained the Seven Gang principal financier.

A deep dive into filings at the Integrity Commission for 2023 by CCN revealed some key details about the high-ranking official.Records show he co-owns a house in Central Trinidad with his wife, is a registered member of a political party, and is also affiliated with a particular association.There is however no mention of his directorship at the UK company in those filings.Sources further revealed that an overseas law enforcement agency had reported the high-ranking Government official’s alleged business activities and that several Government officials here were aware of the business arrangement.

Tomorrow: Watch the TV version of this story on TV6 News at 7 p.m.

Right on cue..
On the annoucement of every election without fail, Mark Bassant comes out with a breaking news "stop the press" scandal that tries to throw dirt on some Government official or the other. By election day, the story fizzles and he goes quiet. This rumor has been around for some time actually.

Proper investigative journalism isn't afraid to call names, provide specifics. Very little of which is present in that story.
If you trust the veracity of the story then calll the name of the official, call the name of the gangster. They aren't under age!

Meanwhile the significant other of the opposition representative for St Augustine (Ms Ameen) is now on the run , hiding from a murder charge. Did I miss the reporting on this devlopment from our resident "copy and paste" keyboard warrior? The unbiased one?

.............

Show me one on this site that doesn't copy and paste.... It saves regurgitating the article.

Dummies like you find it so difficult to understand.

T&T newspapers never post names unless the defendant appears in court.

The PNM must be paying you really well to promote trash...

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Can you provide proof? I found no reports of such!!!!

Just sent anote with your post to a friend in T&T. .

She will forward it to Ms. Ameen, asking for a response.

Lets see what happens... notinsular????

............Housing Minister Adrian Leonce

Prime Minister Stuart Young and Attorney General Camille Robinson-Regis of having knowledge of a senior government official who had alleged business links to a person with criminal ties in the UK. Did this PNM politician and government official make any such declaration of having a business interest overseas to the Integrity Commission, as required by the law? Housing Minister Adrian Leonce, in a press statement on Monday, said he wanted to respond to a recent report on social media posted by an opposition politician, inferring his involvement in illegal activity. Leonce said this was completely without foundation and that he had contacted his attorneys to address the matter. "For the record, I categorically deny any involvement whatsoever in any illegal activity, either directly or indirectly," Leonce said.In the statement, Leonce said after deciding not to return to electoral politics in the general election, he also decided to revive a business interest in the UK, which he was working on forming prior to entering politics in 2015.

He said a friend put him in touch with a person in the UK who assisted in forming the company and having it registered in September 2023. At that time, Leonce was Minister in the Ministry of Housing which was then headed by Robinson-Regis.Leonce said in his statement that in July 2024, he was informed that the man with whom he was listed jointly as a director of his (Leonce) UK company, was the subject of an investigation, "unbeknownst to me."Leonce said he immediately contacted the man and told him to terminate the company, "and that I will be severing all connections with him."The company was terminated on July 17, 2024. I have no affiliation with the individual other than this and know nothing of his business dealings or other activities."

LEONCE ON SHAKY GROUND
Housing Minister at centre of UK company scandal involving questionable character

Housing Minister and Laventille East/Morvant MP Adrian Leonce is now in hot water, after admitting to registering a UK-based company using another person’s address in that country before terminating the company.
However, Leonce insists he has done nothing wrong and rejected accusations of illegal activity linked to the company.“I categorically deny any involvement whatsoever in any illegal activity, either directly or indirectly,” Leonce said in a statement yesterday.

Leonce was responding to Opposition member Anil Roberts, who, in a social media video on Sunday, asked if Leonce was the official referred to in a media report that surfaced on the weekend.Leonce said he had contacted his lawyers over the social media post that, in his view, falsely suggested wrongdoing.“The claim is completely without foundation,” Leonce said.The media report Roberts was referring to claimed that a high-ranking Government official was one of two people linked to a company formed in the UK in September 2023. The other director of the company was later allegedly discovered to have international criminal ties across the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe.

In his response yesterday, Leonce confirmed that he used a Trinidadian businessman’s UK address to set up an engineering and construction company in Britain in September 2023.“It speaks volumes of a lack of judgement if one can subject oneself to business arrangements with an allegedly notorious person without due care and attention,”“Why would a sitting Minister of Government be registering a business in 2023 in England?”