EXPOSED: Massive extortion of CORE workers by Region 5 APNU+AFC Regional Councillor

Sep 23, 2018 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Without a doubt, Region Five is the cesspool and breeding ground for corrupt APNU+AFC officials. And like the Administration they represent, these minions are brazen and have little or no regard for the laws that govern morality and decency, perhaps because they are confident that the powerful government ministers they associate with, will continue to protect them.
Region Five is run by Ovid Morrison, who behaves like a little dictator, constantly circumventing the authority of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to do whatever he pleases in the Region. He was recently upbraided by the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament over millions of dollars in questionable drug purchases.
He is currently facing a $10 million lawsuit for evicting a number of cash-crop farmers, and destroying the crops from the lands they have permission to occupy and which they have cultivate for the past 16 years. He is emboldened by the support he gets from two of Region 5 most notorious public figures.
In an article, “APNU/AFC Councillors arrested for million dollar fraud at MARDS” dated March 23, 2017, News Room reported, “The Commander of ‘C’ Division, Marlon Chapman, has confirmed that two representatives of the governing Coalition were taken into custody for questioning into allegations of fraud.
The allegations of fraud were made out against Abel Seetaram and Carol Joseph by the Mahaicony Abary Rice Development Scheme (MARDS). Both Seetaram and Joseph were elected Councillors of A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) on the RDC, Region 5.”
Now here is the disturbing part. Neither one was ever charged with this crime, and MARDS is believed to be now pursuing civil action to recover $5.4 million from the disgraced former APNU+AFC Region Five Councillor Carol Joseph, and $2.8 million from the embattled Abel Seetaram.
After he was fired as the Region Five Special Representative of the Prime Minister for crashing a Government-owned SUV into a fence at Bath, WCB on May 8, 2016 while driving drunk, Abel Seetaram was given a new office at the RDC building in Fort Wellington, and put in charge of ‘community enhancement workers’ who slash public space and roadsides. They were referred to as CORE workers.
These are poor people who work hard for the minimum wages they hope to receive at the end of the month to support their families. But Abel Seetaram will find ways to take advantage of them.
Employees of the CORE group made several damning allegations of corruption and extortion against Abel Seetaram in the presence of Region Five REO, Ovid Morrison, Member of Parliament, Jennifer Wade and his colleague, Carol Joseph-Smith at a meeting held some time in July:
• Latoya McDonald said Seetaram told her she was “overpaid” for the months of October 2017 to January 2018, and instructed her to return the overpaid amounts to him in installments of $56,000 for the four months, totaling $224,000.00.
• Another CORE employee, Annand Brigmohan, said he gave Abel Seetaram $25,000 after being told by Seetaram that he was overpaid that amount.
• Conrad Fraser, another employee, reported that Seetaram demanded $56,000 from him, representing a month’s salary that was (once again) “overpaid”. Fraser did not give Seetaram the money, but sought guidance from others.
• The team leader, Shazam Jameer, reported that from the time he started working with the CORE group, Seetaram demanded that he donate $15,000 every month out of the minimum wage he gets, towards the cost of airing the AFC television program, ‘Alliance on the Move’. Between him and the other team leader, Prakesh Ramdeo who was also instructed to contribute $15,000 a month to this cause, Abel Seetaram had embezzled $330,000 from these two poor victims alone.
• In February 2018, employees of the CORE group had given Seetaram a total of $24,000 to purchase jerseys, which they never received.
• Last year, employees of the CORE group were also duped into giving Abel Seetaram $5,000 each to organize a family fun day, and Christmas Party that never came off. Those who did not attend the family fun day were forced to pay the $5,000 under threats of losing their jobs.
• Darshanie Khemkarran was hired by Abel Seetaram in January 2018 as his secretary. She left the job on July 4th because she had not been paid for the entire five months she worked with him.
• CORE workers also complained that every month, the envelopes containing their pay slips were opened by Abel Seetaram “to see if they were overpaid”.
• The workers also complained that Seetaram was in the habit of sending home those who did not comply with his demands. Upon their resumption to work, days or weeks later, they were “encouraged” to sign the time card for the period of absence. When the suspended employees’ salaries are paid, Seetaram demanded the return of the monies for the period of their suspension, claiming same to be “overpayment”.
While all of this was going on, the man that knows everything that goes on in Region Five, the REO Ovid Morrison, profess his ignorance of Seetaram’s wicked extortion schemes.
Editor, I am aware that the allegations I have listed above were brought to the attention of senior ministers in the APNU+AFC government. Yet Abel Seetaram still remains a Region Five RDC Councillor and prominent AFC member.
I therefore must conclude that, like the millions that were stolen from MARDS without charges of fraud being brought against the perpetrators, this is another cover-up by the government to protect one of their own at the expense of the hard working community enhancement workers.
I therefore call upon the Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, and our newly appointed Commissioner of Police, Leslie James, to investigate the criminal activities of this Region 5 RDC Councillor, and hold him accountable for violation the public trust.
HARRY GILL
PPP/C Member of Parliament,
Member of the Parliamentary
Oversight Committee of the Security Sector.

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