A Guardian Me\u00addia in\u00adves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion has un\u00adearthed a damn\u00ading whistle\u00adblow\u00ader re\u00adport in\u00adside the Telecom\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions Ser\u00advices of Trinidad and To\u00adba\u00adgo (TSTT) which de\u00adtails spe\u00adcif\u00adic ques\u00adtion\u00adable pro\u00adcure\u00adment prac\u00adtices and mega-mil\u00adlion dol\u00adlar deals with\u00adout board ap\u00adproval.<\/p>\n
While the State com\u00adpa\u00adny is deny\u00ading all the de\u00adtails con\u00adtained in the re\u00adport, its au\u00adthor, for\u00admer ex\u00adec\u00adu\u00adtive vice pres\u00adi\u00addent Mo\u00adbile, Nicole Ker\u00adry Lumkin, is stand\u00ading by her state\u00adments.<\/p>\n
The Lumkin re\u00adport, ob\u00adtained by Guardian Me\u00addia, de\u00adtails the spe\u00adcial treat\u00adment grant\u00aded to two com\u00adpa\u00adnies owned by the same man.<\/p>\n
News of the mis\u00adman\u00adaged fi\u00adnances comes even as TSTT, cit\u00ading dire fi\u00adnan\u00adcial straits, let go over 500 em\u00adploy\u00adees last month to main\u00adtain its vi\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty. The re\u00adports show that the com\u00adpa\u00adny may have mis\u00adman\u00adaged more than half a bil\u00adlion dol\u00adlars be\u00adtween 2013 and 2018.<\/p>\n
Guardian Me\u00addia made con\u00adtact with TSTT\u2019s Se\u00adnior Man\u00adag\u00ader, Cor\u00adpo\u00adrate Com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adca\u00adtions, Mar\u00adsha Ca\u00adballero, last Thurs\u00adday and was told that the com\u00adpa\u00adny need\u00aded time to re\u00adspond ap\u00adpro\u00adpri\u00adate\u00adly. The com\u00adpa\u00adny sent its re\u00adsponse to ques\u00adtions on the doc\u00adu\u00adments late yes\u00adter\u00adday. In that re\u00adsponse, TSTT is deny\u00ading any fi\u00adnan\u00adcial im\u00adpro\u00adpri\u00adety and ac\u00adcused this me\u00addia house of \u201ctar\u00adget\u00ading\u201d its chief ex\u00adec\u00adu\u00adtive of\u00adfi\u00adcer, Dr Ronald Wal\u00adcott.<\/p>\n
In the first week of the year, Guardian Me\u00addia re\u00adceived a pack\u00adet of doc\u00adu\u00adments, in\u00adclud\u00ading two in\u00adter\u00adnal au\u00addits, one by TSTT\u2019s for\u00admer in\u00adter\u00adnal au\u00addit man\u00adag\u00ader Mait\u00adland Daniels, an\u00adoth\u00ader by the com\u00adpa\u00adny\u2019s chief in\u00adter\u00adnal au\u00addi\u00adtor Randy Mar\u00adcano and an in\u00adter\u00adnal re\u00adport by Lumkin.<\/p>\n
The Lumkin re\u00adport con\u00adtains sev\u00ader\u00adal ques\u00adtions, in\u00adclud\u00ading why two cell phone re\u00adtail\u00aders were grant\u00aded spe\u00adcial priv\u00adi\u00adleges with TSTT with\u00adout board ap\u00adproval even though the deals were a fi\u00adnan\u00adcial strain on the com\u00adpa\u00adny. In one of the doc\u00adu\u00adments, Lumkin ques\u00adtioned the re\u00adla\u00adtion\u00adship be\u00adtween TSTT, Cell\u00adMas\u00adter and Mi\u00adzo\u00adva. Ac\u00adcord\u00ading to the doc\u00adu\u00adment, the two re\u00adtail\u00aders were paid a flat fee of $9 mil\u00adlion and $10.5 mil\u00adlion re\u00adspec\u00adtive\u00adly in\u00adstead of a com\u00admis\u00adsion on sales like all oth\u00ader re\u00adtail\u00aders.<\/p>\n
Lumkin de\u00adscribed the two con\u00adtracts as \u201cno\u00adto\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly bad mil\u00adlion-dol\u00adlar con\u00adtracts\u201d which were al\u00adlowed to con\u00adtin\u00adue in the ab\u00adsence of board ap\u00adproval and lim\u00adit\u00aded re\u00adturns for TSTT.<\/p>\n
Both re\u00adtail out\u00adlets are owned and op\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded by Richard Smith, who is re\u00adlat\u00aded to the for\u00admer sport min\u00adis\u00adter Dar\u00adryl Smith.<\/p>\n
Lumkin, in her re\u00adport, de\u00adtailed the fi\u00adnan\u00adcial vi\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty of all TSTT re\u00adtail\u00aders and found that while the av\u00ader\u00adage cost per trans\u00adac\u00adtion with oth\u00ader re\u00adtail\u00aders ranged from $64 to $115, Cell\u00adMas\u00adter car\u00adried a $546.68 fee per trans\u00adac\u00adtion and Mi\u00adzo\u00adva was paid a mas\u00adsive $9,971.51 per trans\u00adac\u00adtion. While oth\u00ader re\u00adtail\u00aders got a com\u00admis\u00adsion rang\u00ading from three to 13 per cent, Cell\u00adMas\u00adter earned a 21 per cent ver\u00adsus Mi\u00adzo\u00adva\u2019s 16 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cTSTT sim\u00adply makes a huge loss at the Mi\u00adzo\u00adva stores of more than $9,000 per trans\u00adac\u00adtion,\u201d Lumkin not\u00aded in the re\u00adport.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo date, TSTT has spent ap\u00adprox\u00adi\u00admate\u00adly $50 mil\u00adlion on these two con\u00adtracts.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that the on\u00adly \u201cre\u00adspon\u00adsi\u00adble\u201d thing to do was to ter\u00admi\u00adnate the two con\u00adtracts. How\u00adev\u00ader, that was nev\u00ader done.<\/p>\n
Un\u00adder the ban\u00adner \u201cim\u00adpor\u00adtant facts,\u201d Lumkin said that the orig\u00adi\u00adnal Cell\u00adMas\u00adter con\u00adtract was val\u00adued at ap\u00adprox\u00adi\u00admate\u00adly $27 mil\u00adlion be\u00adtween 2011 and 2014. She claimed that the con\u00adtract nev\u00ader re\u00adceived board ap\u00adproval.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have not been able to find the orig\u00adi\u00adnal busi\u00adness case or any oth\u00ader ma\u00adte\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal that prop\u00ader\u00adly jus\u00adti\u00adfies this con\u00adtract,\u201d Lumkin said.<\/p>\n
Lumkin said the \u201corig\u00adi\u00adnal Mi\u00adzo\u00adva con\u00adtract was ap\u00adproved via the CEO fi\u00adnan\u00adcial au\u00adthor\u00adi\u00adty lim\u00adit and was val\u00adued at $3.5 mil\u00adlion.\u201d That con\u00adtract ex\u00adpired since Jan\u00adu\u00adary 31, 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgain, this con\u00adtract did not re\u00adceive board ap\u00adproval, and I have not been able to find the orig\u00adi\u00adnal busi\u00adness case or any oth\u00ader ma\u00adte\u00adr\u00adi\u00adal that prop\u00ader\u00adly jus\u00adti\u00adfies this con\u00adtract,\u201d Lumkin said in her re\u00adport.<\/p>\n
Aside from that pref\u00ader\u00aden\u00adtial treat\u00adment, Lumkin al\u00adso not\u00aded that be\u00adfore Ronald Wal\u00adcott be\u00adcame TSTT\u2019s chief ex\u00adec\u00adu\u00adtive of\u00adfi\u00adcer, \u201che di\u00adrect\u00adly man\u00adaged Cell\u00adMas\u00adter from 2011 to 2013 as Head of the Pre\u00adpaid and Chan\u00adnel Man\u00adage\u00adment De\u00adpart\u00adment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lumkin pro\u00adposed that both con\u00adtracts be ter\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded and had the sup\u00adport of the ex\u00adec\u00adu\u00adtives. How\u00adev\u00ader, by Jan\u00adu\u00adary 2016 the con\u00adtract doc\u00adu\u00adments for the two com\u00adpa\u00adnies were back on the ta\u00adble. She said she wrote to the ex\u00adec\u00adu\u00adtives but nev\u00ader re\u00adceived a re\u00adsponse. By Jan\u00adu\u00adary 25, 2016, she was in\u00adformed that the two con\u00adtracts would con\u00adtin\u00adue and would go for\u00adward for board ap\u00adproval.<\/p>\n