(Trinidad Guardian) UNC Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called out the Government on Indian businessman Naveen Jindal, questioning if it was “the Venezuelans” who put the Government on to Jindal to get the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.
“This Government is taking T&T down a dangerous path,” she claimed regarding the refinery deal, querying if Jindal was a “go-between” for the Venezuelan and T&T governments Persad-Bissessar spoke on the issue at Monday’s UNC meeting at the party’s Chaguanas office.
She slammed the Prime Minister’s statements that he was unaware Jindal was on alleged corruption charges. “Who is vetting these people?!” she asked.
Persad-Bissessar based her concern on articles in India’s press concerning Jindal, including January 2024 in the Deccan Herald Indian newspaper.
“It tells us Jindal is facing corruption and money laundering charges in India,” she alleged, showing the article.
She said Government came to Parliament on the anti-corruption Whistleblower Protection Bill last Friday, but by Monday was meeting Jindal and “you don’t know” about the alleged charges.
Persad-Bissessar said something was “very strange with the deal” on the refinery, which she said was for elections.
“Government has claimed that Jindal has access to the crude oil for the refinery. I ask, where did you all really find Jindal—in India or in Venezuela?
According to Persad-Bissessar, another article in the March 21, 2024, Business Standard newspaper India stated: “’Jindal Steel & Power takes over operation at Venezuela’s largest iron-ore company, the first for a private-run firm in the South American country’s heavy industry in over a decade, just months after striking the deal with the Nicolas Maduro Government.’”
She alleged Jindal has been border-hopping between Venezuela and Trinidad, “cutting deals,” and questioned if T&T was seeing a Venezuela-Trinidad-India connection.
She called for answers on whether any government member met Jindal in Venezuela before he visited Trinidad.
Persad-Bissessar showed an Energy Ministry article where Energy Minister Stuart Young received an “introductory courtesy call” from Jindal on March 27, 2023.
Young met with Jindal at the ministry’s head office, International Waterfront Complex, Port-of-Spain.
“Mr Jindal returned 15 months later and met Rowley, and you’re unaware he’s on alleged corruption charges?
“They pretended they’re only now meeting him for the first time. Didn’t Stuart Young, who’s in the Prime Minister’s office, also tell him of his visit? Jindal was here in March 2023. Rowley went to India in May 2024, a year after. Something more is in the mortar than the pestle.”
Noting that the Government said Jindal had access to the crude oil for the refinery, she questioned where he was coming in from and if the oil he was sourcing would be Venezuelan crude oil. “Is this sanctioned oil?” she asked.
Persad-Bissessar claimed the refinery deal was an alleged “corrupt cook-up” between the Maduro “narco” Government, T&T’s government, and Jindal, whom she claimed was the “go-between.”
She alleged the Maduro Government “introduced him to (T&T) Government and is behind the refinery’s acquisition.”
Persad-Bissessar alleged that through Jindal, the Maduro Government “will process Venezuelan crude oil at Pointe-a-Pierre and try to escape US sanctions. This Rowley Government is a part of a scheme T&T will pay a serious price for.”
Young: We don’t operate via back doors
Energy Minister Stuart Young, meanwhile, said he has not had any discussions with the Government of Venezuela pertaining to any arrangements that they may have with Indian businessman Naveen Jindal’s companies.
Young did so yesterday after Persad Bissessar called out the Government on Jindal when she spoke at UNC’s meeting on Monday.
“Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar should realise by now that this Government does not operate covertly. The fact that the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries’ website has a release stating that I met with Mr Naveen Jindal in March of 2023 is testimony to this.
“Exactly as that release says, I met with him and, ‘Discussions surrounded the exploration of opportunities for investment in the energy and steel sectors for the benefit of Trinidad and Tobago.’ Very transparently, that was recorded, and the population was informed in March 2023.”
Young added, “I have not had any discussions with the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela pertaining to any arrangements that they may have with Mr Jindal’s companies. I discuss with the Government of Venezuela, matters that pertain to both Venezuela’s interest and Trinidad and Tobago’s interest.
“I remind the Opposition leader that this Government has secured specific OFAC licences from the United States Treasury Department for two energy initiatives that we are securing for the future of Trinidad and Tobago, one for the Dragon gas field and one for the Cocuina-Manakin field.
“So again, I emphasise that we don’t operate via back doors the way that Mrs Persad-Bissesar and her colleagues may. I assure the people of Trinidad and Tobago that my dealings on their (behalf) will always be transparent and in accordance with the law. I challenge the leader of the opposition to do the same.”