It appears Raul Gutierrez Jr, president and chief executive officer of Calmaquip, and Eduardo Hillman-Waller, co-owner of Birk Hillman Consultants Inc, are expected to plead guilty today and also potentially testify in the Piarco Airport scandal trial in Trinidad.
The court hearing in Miami is set for today, and details of their plea bargain agreement should be revealed at that time. Both parties along with Trinidadians Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh, were indicted in the United States Grand Jury to stand trial on charges of money laundering, bank fraud, and conspiracy to transport money obtained through fraudulent means.Ferguson and Galbaransingh are still fighting extradition in Trinidad. Gutierrez and Hillman-Waller may be key in the prosecution of others awaiting trial in Trinidad on similar charges, including attempting to defraud the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Among those are former Government Ministers, Brian Kuei Tung and Sadiq Baksh.
Northern Construction Limited Financial Director Amrith Maharaj, along with Ronald Birk of Birk-Hillman Consultants Inc, Tyrone Gopee and Ameer Edoo former chairmen of the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, former Ministry of Works and Transport client representative Peter Cateau and three other companies affiliated with the Maritime Financial Group, are also charged.
Gutierrez and Hillman-Waller are also charged in Trinidad and Tobago, but their prosecution is unlikely to proceed after their plea bargain agreement in the United States today.
