Petrojam Fraud Trial | GM rejects suggestion that politics was behind repayment request

Petrojam General Manager Winston Watson this morning rejected suggestions that politics was behind the reason why former chairman Dr Perceval Bahado-Singh was asked by the company to refund monies paid for several overseas meetings.

Watson was giving evidence at the fraud trial of Bahado-Singh and former general manager Floyd Grindley in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

Under cross-examination from Singh's lawyer Bert Samuels, Watson disagreed that political party pressure had influenced the refund request.

He also rejected a further suggestion that he had sacrificed the former chairman's integrity for political reasons.

Watson, however, agreed that the issue of Bahado-Singh's appointment was at the time politically charged.

But, at the same time, he disagreed that the request for the refund was done so that he could be in a position to advise parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committees that all the monies were refunded.

The two accused are being tried on fraud-related charges stemming from allegations that Bahado-Singh submitted claims amounting to US$73,620 between December 2016 and May 2018 for overseas travel which he did not attend.

Grindley is alleged to have aided and abetted the ex-chairman in the process used to make the fraudulent claims.

Watson had testified that he had signed several letters demanding reimbursement for travel expenses for meetings following an investigation.

However, when asked by Samuels if he had made six demands via letter, he indicated that he could not remember.

But in reexamination, he said it may have been two or three letters.

Watson, while indicating that some of the money was repaid, said he was not in a position to say if Bahado-Singh had attended the meetings for which he was asked to make refunds.

Samuels then asked, "On reflection today do you think that the demand was unfair?"

"In order for me to respond I need to explain," he said, noting that it was not a yes or no answer.

In the meantime, Watson told the court that Petrojam was not aware that Bahado-Singh resided overseas when he got the appointment and that his travel claims would have been a breach.

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