MIAMI - Three Florida companies and six Florida residents were sued in state court Tuesday, accused of taking part in a scheme to defraud the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago of up to $105 million.
The defendants were named in a 73-page complaint filed in Miami-Dade County that also named two other foreign companies and four additional plaintiffs.In May, the court froze three South Florida properties during an investigation to see if they were bought with proceeds from the alleged corruption involving Trinidad's new international airport.
Trinidad officials say that through bid-rigging, bribes to public officials, mail fraud and money laundering, millions of dollars were directed to Florida, where they are being held in real estate and personal property.
The lawsuit seeks seizure of those assets, as well as compensatory damages and interest, and all other costs from the suit.
Edward H. Davis Jr., an attorney for Trinidad's government, said that over several years, up to $105 million in illegal overcharges may have been made.
"The real importance of this is that it shows that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is demonstrating that it's going to take all appropriate legal measures wherever necessary to recover the proceeds of public corruption crimes against its citizens," he said.
Frozen in May were a condo in Aventura worth about $1.3 million, a house in Fort Lauderdale valued at up to $1 million and another house in Pinecrest, Davis said. Aventura and Pinecrest are wealthy suburbs of Miami. Davis said they are seeking additional properties in South Florida frozen.
The opposition United National Congress was in power during construction of Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. The party has been dogged by corruption allegations related to the project, but opposition leader Basdeo Panday has said the charges are politically motivated and not supported by evidence.
Ten people, including three former government officials, have been arrested in Trinidad.
Some defendants did not have listed phone numbers, others could not be located and one did not return a message seeking comment.
