Members of the Anti Corruption Investigations Bureau yesterday morning executed a search warrant and seized important documents from the home of Carlos John, former government minister under the United National Congress regime, police sources said.
John, who lives at Haleland Park, Maraval, denied the search had occurred when the Guardian approached him just after 10 am yesterday at his home.
?Raid? Why would they want to raid here? No police came here.
?Right now, I am doing some work at home and then I am going to get ready to go in the office,? said John, dressed in gym shorts and a plaid shirt, from behind his gated door.
?Why would they want to raid here for? Weed? Cocaine?? he asked.
However, head of the bureau, Snr Supt Maurice Piggott said a search was carried out at the home of the former works and transport minister.
?Yes, it was searched and documents were seized,? Piggott said. But he did not want to state what investigation the search was linked to.
?The probe is not yet finished,? he said.
Asked if the documents were helpful to whatever investigation he was working on, Piggott said: ?Don?t try that.?
Other police sources, however, said the search warrant was recently obtained and was taken out in the name of acting Insp Telesford, who is attached to the specialist unit.
Police said the search was a continuation of an investigation into a paper trail linking CL Financial to a London apartment, allegedly owned by Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday and occupied by his daughters.
CL Financial?s head office on St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain, was searched by the same police unit on September 10.
?It?s just a continuation,? a police source told the Guardian afterwards, pointing out that John was at one time the assistant to the executive chairman of CL Financial, Lawrence Duprey.
In the September search, sources said the police were seeking correspondence between Caribbean Nitrogen Co Ltd, National Gas Co, Panday and the Ministry of Energy between 1997 and 2000 during the UNC administration.
The main focus, however, was on CNC, in which Clico Energy has a 20 per cent shareholding. Clico Energy is a subsidiary of CL Financial.
In June 2002, John was asked by the ACU to pass documents relative to an alleged $1 million payment made to him by a UNC financier.
According to Guardian records, John told the investigators he borrowed $1 million from a bank on behalf of the UNC financier and the money was to repay the loan.
John was asked to show from where he borrowed the money and proof of the loan.
