THA Chief Exposes 'Zombie Road' Fraud
In a fiery address on the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) political platform ahead of the upcoming THA elections, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine levelled explosive corruption allegations against a prominent contractor and the previous administration. Augustine revealed that a pre-action protocol letter has been issued, citing a complete failure to involve the Central Tenders Board for contracts exceeding one million dollars—a mandatory requirement for legitimate procurement.
The Chief Secretary detailed a scheme of « bid rigging at inflated prices, » alleging that forensic engineers brought in to core the roads discovered significant discrepancies between the materials billed and those actually used. « You could dig down in the road and see how fresh the barber green is on top… and what they did in the construction of the road to match what they actually charged the THA for, » Augustine stated. He slammed the inflation of material quantities, claiming the administration is now saddled with finding $165 million in 2027 to repay debts incurred for these questionable projects.
The most damning accusation centred on payments made for « non-existing roads ». Augustine described these as « Ghost Roads » or « Zombie Roads » that cannot be found on any map, yet public funds were allegedly disbursed for their construction. He questioned how public accounting officers and engineers could sign off on payments for invisible infrastructure and incomplete contracts.
Augustine framed the election as a choice between « what is fair versus what is unfair, » asserting that the « Tobago I know » is not made of thieves but of honest, proud people. He condemned the contractors for holding the island to ransom while claiming to represent its best interests. « The best among us are some of the young people standing here… while the worst among us getting a chance, » he declared, rallying supporters around the integrity of the TPP.
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