There’s an ongoing battle for ownership of the mega-million dollar newspaper, Newsday. The company launched by Daniel Chookolingo in 1993, is getting no media publicity because two years after its launch, the daily immediately became the fastest selling newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago outstripping the then 30-year old Trinidad Express and the mighty Guardian which was then over 75 years old. Both newspaper and their vast billion dollar media outfits have remained silent since the case was filed in the High Court in 2014.While Newsday’s up-to-date value remains shrouded, there was a valuation done a decade ago which put its worth at over $200 million dollars. Sources close to Mr Chookolingo says this is a bogus value which was given by the Steve Castagne controlled board to buy out minority shareholders to gain full control of his company.
Massive PNM Corruption Reported to DPP and Fraud Squad Along With Their Lowlife Miscreants
Copies sent to PKF (local and International), ICATT, Transparency Institute (Local and Global), BIR, NIB and Companies Registry
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PKF & Keystone Auditors Brazenly Usurped the Laws for 12 Years
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Auditors Supported by Miscreant Attorneys
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Government Institutions Muzzled
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Shareholders Terrorized into Submission
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Daniel Chookolingo Asks For Police Protection Given The Exposure of Prominent Professionals Involved
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UNC Election Day Officers Targeted
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Spying Equipment Not Used For Crime But To Win Elections
Miscreant #1, Crooked Peake, Miscreant #2, Mark Superville, PKF Auditor
Miscreant #3, Michael Quamina, Att Miscreant #4, Michael Coppin, Att
Justice James Aboud, Steve Castagne,
Made Faulty Ruling Manipulated the Buyout
PKF Bigwig, Renee-Lisa Philip,
Provided Material Support for Miscreant Superville
TTJF is pleased to provide its readers with the latest installment on how several PNM operatives conned the State and shareholders out of hundreds of millions of dollars. The bogus auditor and attorneys, the so called professionals, took approximately 12 years to completely steal Newsday Newspaper because of legal challenges by its founder, Daniel Chookolingo. Mr Chookolingo initiated court matters that tied up the masterminds in the plot in legal challenges which are still outstanding and now before P.M. Dr. Rowley as per the Constitution. The chief protagonist is none other than PNM heavyweight, Steve Castagne.
Justice James Aboud, was instrumental in the flawed ruling by having unlawful discussions with his brothers who are well-known elites in T&T. He was then promoted to the Appeal Court.
One would have thought that with the combined qualifications of the miscreants identities so far, could have put their dubious talents to better use that to involve themselves in illegal
activities and possible jail terms. But there are many more miscreants to be disclosed as there are just the tip of the iceberg.
There is a bigger picture at play here which is to control the State institutions and the billions of dollars in State contracts, including the multi-billion dollar business corporations like Heritage Petroleum and dozens of other billion dollar companies controlled by PNM cronies and, of course there is the treasury itself.
Insiders say the PNM has amassed a massive election treasure chest, now said to amount to hundreds of millions, looted using untold sums ripped off during the past 9 years, which includes the hoarding of potential billions from Covid19, that the jokey PM said was used to save lives. This war chest combined with the mass media, will be used to subtly discredit KPB (Kamla) by making it look like she is a conspiracy theorist who only wants to complain. The PNM is still repeating the bogus, discredited emailgate against KPB.
In the latest twist, the millions which have been ripped off from Newsday, Petrotrin, Clico etc, etc, will be used to target the UNC’s election officers for the next general election slated for 2025. The idea is to pay off certain UNC election officers to go along with crooked vote counts at several marginal constituencies. If the UNC polling agents fail to accept a payoff, the plan is to threaten their families which will invariably work. This manipulation was used by former U.S. President Trump when he tried to steal that election by demanding RNC officials manufacture 11,780 votes to control the state of Georgia. More recently, Trump has degenerated to threatening judges.
Meanwhile, the same PNM controlled media is subtly manipulating listeners and readers by painting UNC’s KPB as a conspiracy theorist, which the PNM hopes will sway many fickle voters. Right now what obtains is institutional brainwashing via the media just as there is institutional racism worldwide. The UNC’s response is to wait for Major Best, fired SSA spy king, to come out and tell all.
PNM’s latest obsession is to make it look like KPB is not a T&T loyalist because she does not want to remove the Privy Council as T&T final appellate court. Apparently, the PNM is prepared to back Constitutional amendments once there is no clause for referendums, since such a clause will remove ultimate control from the elites / 1%. Meanwhile, all this manipulation of every State institution together with the use of the Pegasus spying equipment and police resources are the real reason for runaway crime.
The Chookolingo letter which was sent to various agencies is now reproduced here.
1st April 2024
The Director of Public Prosecutions,
The Fraud Squad
Dear Sirs,
Re: Fraud / Conspiracies by PKF, Keystone and CHL
This is a report regarding a series of illegal activities, fraud and conspiracies by the chartered accountants and auditors, Pannel, Kerr, Foster (PKF), Keystone auditors and the board of directors of Choko Holdings Ltd (CHL). There were also similar fraudulent acts by three named attorneys which will be dealt with separately.
For well over ten (10) years PKF and subsequently Keystone Auditors and the directors of CHL were part of a series of illegal manipulations to defraud CHL and others and cause the operations of CHL to be in default of their lawful duties and responsibilities. The above mentioned persons committed gross fraud with impunity against the State and shareholders resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.
This complaint will show how this continued for at least 12 years and is still continuing. The basic complaints are hereby outlined but I will remain available to provide complete details to support these complaints. Needless to say these complaints emanate from the words and documents provided by CHL itself. To be sure, the crimes committed include but are not limited to the following: Fraud, conspiracies, manipulation of AGM minutes, bribery, the use of unaudited company funds as a literal slush fund to pay illegal dividends, bribes, the hiring of professional persons and others to make false statements, uttering false documents, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, committing perjury, the illegal disposal of assets, theft, failing to provide the requisite annual audit reports for approval and failing to filing same with the BIR, and use of CHL funds in a generally illegal manner. The facts here will show this was nothing short of organized crime and is equivalent to illegal gang behavior whereby the business of CHL was used to finance the illegally-driven acts.
I start by informing you that I represent Francesca Sutton who is a 6.25% shareholder of CHL. CHL in turn is a substantial owner of a major daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago, Newsday. Ms Sutton recently passed away and I have made an application to be appointed as the executor named in her Will. I also represent the Estate of Francis Chookolingo, also a 6.25% shareholder and I was granted a fiat to bring the persons responsible and to account for the illegal disposal of the CHL assets, which are estimated to be worth well over a hundred million dollars but sold for a mere $8.5 million T&T dollars. Copies of the documents showing my authority to represent these two (2) aforementioned parties are hereby enclosed and labeled “DC 1.”
I also represent myself as I suffered tremendous loss as a result of a false affidavit executed by Mrs Ford dated 14th of July 2014. I’m advised that there is no time limit in bringing fraud complaints.
While these illegal acts of CHL started around a decade ago, the documents showing the train of events, the conspiracies, fraud and several breaches of the laws were only made available in 2022 when the AGM minutes and other documents were sent to the shareholders that showed the various illegal activities by CHL, PKF auditors and others. The illegalities are not restricted to these two parties but also involve CHL’s attorneys by their illegal involvement and support for CHL board which is contrary to their oath and code of conduct as attorneys. For the record these attorneys are Deborah Peake SC, Michael Quamina SC, and Michael Coppin.
I start by going in chronological order what I have identified as the offending areas and breaches of the laws:
The year 2010:
In the year 2010, the firm of PKF was appointed as CHL auditor which is recorded at #39 of the AGM minutes, hereby attached. It is noted that while no one from PKF was present no legal audit was ever submitted by PKF but some were sent via email in 2022. Documents will show that PKF’s actively participated and deprived CHL members of the annual audits but were present at many of the AGM meetings to give flimsy excuses and show material support for the directors to explain why there were no annual audits.
The PKF excuses were another hoax and concoction in order to support the illegal activities of the CHL board, instead of representing all the members of the company and being faithful to their oath.
The year 2011:
At this CHL AGM meeting, the said minutes record that PKF had sent a proposal to audit the books of CHL. So, this was in effect retroactive auditing. The shareholders of CHL were being informed after more than a year of being appointed as CHL auditors, that PKF “had finally sent a proposal” to audit the company in what appears to be a game of deceit, conspiracy and delay in doing the legally required annual audits. This PKF proposal is recorded at page 2, line 5 of the 2011 AGM minutes.
It is hereby submitted that the reason for the conspiracy and delay was for the directors to present a fraudulent plan to sell the company without annual audits which plan was subsequently presented on 23rd July 2013, see attached Dawn Ford proposal labeled “DC2”. It is assumed that PKF fully understood by not performing these lawfully required annual audits, they knew that several laws governing the operating of companies and their duties and responsibilities to file annual documents to the Government were being severely comprised with serious legal consequences and penalties. These reports were to be provided by law and PKF must know that by not providing them as required involved serious breach of the laws and therefore a conspiracy with the management to engage in fraudulent and illegal activities to defraud shareholders and the State.
It is noted here that CHL continued to pay what the directors labeled “dividends” for the year 2011, even though PKF did not provide the audit. Therefore, the dividends were unauthorized and / or illegal and / or fraudulent and paid from CHL unaudited bank account(s) which was used like a personal slush fund to continue to bribe and hoodwink the shareholders into believing that company was being operated efficiently, legally and transparently. The reappointment of the same CHL directors allowed directors to continue illegally using the company funds as personal property without auditor oversight and shareholder approval according to law. As you well know dividends are paid from profits of the company and not based on some personal impulse or whim.
It is noted here that while PKF had now missed the 2011 audit deadlines, they were the auditors that eventually provided the audits for the next several years though none of them were ever approved at AGMs according to law. Therefore, without the required audit, this company was now operating illegally for non-compliance and therefore the 2011 AGM meeting was null and void. Based on interaction with other CHL shareholders, PKF or attorneys did not advise shareholders of the various consequences of delay or non-compliance and that the directors were now holding office illegally and therefore PKF was also appointed illegally, and this goes to the root of the conspiracy to defraud shareholders and the government. We will see these illegal appointments of directors and auditors continued for a several years. Indeed this continued into the year 2022.
The year 2012:
The shareholders of CHL were now being informed, after two (2) years of being appointed as CHL auditors, that PKF was “unable to fulfill their duties …due to missing documents and inaccuracies in the last audit.” It is noted here that this was the third time PKF was being reaffirmed as auditors while several shareholders were awaiting an incisive and detailed report from PKF revealing the allegations by Dawn Ford of ‘illegalities and irregularities’ (now known to be a fraudulent report) that pervaded the operations before she was appointed to the board. PKF never made any adverse report to date of such ‘illegalities or irregularities’ as required by law. So, with all the conspiracies PKF was involved in, PKF nonetheless gave a good bill of health to the Wayne controlled board.
Otherwise, it is the business of PKF to make themselves available whenever the audit report was presented with independent explanations to the report. By 2012, the minority shareholders, who were expecting CHL to take legal action based on Ford’s statement of misappropriation, expected PKF to tell them exactly what transpired with all these “missing documents” and other irregularities that Mrs Ford reported which was part of the blatant and fraudulent manipulation of the company by both Ford and PKF, and this was compounded by PKF not presenting these audit reports resulting in shareholders having to rely on unofficial, personal statements from the very directors who were breaking the laws with ulterior motives.
The year 2013 (on 16th Feb):
In 2013, again there was no financial report by PKF even though PKF was approved to audit the company since 2010. The chairman, Mrs Ford reported that while the audit was not ready she asked that PKF be reappointed as the “audit was almost ready”. After 3 full years, CHL shareholders are being told the same repetitive untruths that the lawful audit reports are unavailable when it fact PKF was complicit with the CHL board to defraud. We saw a series of machinations to corruptly sway CHL shareholders which included a false affidavit by Chairman, Dawn Ford, which was made possible due to the conspiracy with PKF and others. To be clear, CHL shareholders were being told that the previous management / directors were operating the company illegally but could point to no specific breaches of any laws but were untruths to gain control of CHL. Most of that is now out in the open. Instead of providing details, Mrs Ford made a false offer of $100 million to shareholders for the Newsday assets. Information regarding this can be made available to you but eventual offer for the $8.5 million (not $100 million) can be seen at “DC 2”. Indeed, there was no shortage of legal advice to the company as there were at least three well known attorneys, Michael Quamina, Deborah Peake SC and Michael Coppin, on record as attorneys for CHL. We will show how these three (3) attorneys were also part and parcel of the conspiracies to defraud and will be sent to you as a separate matter.
In 2013, there was absolute silence from PKF as they knew of and assisted CHL / Dawn Ford in the fraud by not providing audits and conspired with CHL in order to force a buyout of the subject company for $8.5 million dollars from one Steve Castagne who was seen to be directing Mrs Ford in documents in my possession.
PKF ought to have made themselves available at the AGM meeting to explain the reasons why it was taking three (3) years to complete this report as required by law. Several of the shareholders felt betrayed by PKF and wondered why PKF was being supportive of what is clearly a highly illegal operation which continued to pay illegal “dividends” for 2011, 2012 and 2013 without audits or lawful explanations. It is noted that immediately after this conspiracy to withhold the CHL audits for the past 3 years, the said directors made a failed attempt to sell the entire company (CHL and the Newsday assets) for $8.5 million dollars which was challenged by two CHL shareholders. This offer is seen at “DC 2”. It is noted that after the failed attempt to sell the assets as per “DC 2”, the Ford minutes falsely state that PKF had suddenly reported to have completed the 2011 audit, though independent verification is not possible since the minutes were also falsified as per evidence provided below. This situation with the complicit auditors and attorneys continued until 2022, when the prime Newsday assets were finally disposed of without due process according to law despite objections by minority shareholders.
The year 2014 (8th March):
After the failed sale of the company for $8.5 million dollars (as per “DC2”), two representatives from PKF were purported to have been present at the 2014 AGM together with the attorney for CHL, Mr Michael Quamina. It is stated in the AGM minutes that the audited report was presented but did not state for what year. In fact, I was present at that 2014 meeting as the proxy for Vanessa Lincott and can confirm the audit was not presented. Be that as it is, 2014 minutes saw an admission that it is the first purported audit by PKF and the CHL board.
In fact, based on what transpired at the 2014 AGM meeting, certain questions that were submitted in a ‘three page document’ according to the minutes, was said was to be presented by shareholder Rex Chookolingo. It is hereby submitted this is another fraudulent and false AGM minute, and was used as a distraction so the missing audits would escape scrutiny / discussion until a new plan could be devised by the co-conspirators to carry out the dastardly, illegal plan to dispose of the assets as outlines in the document dated 23rd July 2013 (see “DC2”). It is hereby submitted that the three page document ascribed to Rex Chookolingo was actually submitted by Daniel Chookolingo as proxy for Vanessa Lincott and signed by approximately 6 shareholders. The AGM minutes will show that my name was removed as an attendee at the meeting in what is now tampering with evidence. (On a brief note, I also attended the AGM meetings in 2020 and 2021 and my name was also deleted as an attendee to obliterate my valid objections.) In all those meetings I made contributions where I asked the records to state the objections but since the minutes were manipulated, my contributions, primarily regarding due process and transparency of the sale of assets were deleted. However, these objections were sent to Mrs Ford by email and are valid.
In any event, in 2014, there were no answers to the three page document and after 3 years of no audits; it is very strange there were no discussions on the “audit” simply because there was no audit presented at the meeting. The ‘three page document’ raising questions about the operations of CHL and was used as a distraction to spread propaganda to other absent members that Ford had paid off and/or manipulated to cast blame on the objectors as to why the bogus sale for $100 million did not proceed.
Separately, the so called audit by PKF, did not reveal any “missing documents” and other “irregularities” as stated openly by the Dawn Ford, and PKF it made no such report and instead PKF reported everything was in order. Indeed, this is more evidence of a further manipulation and a massive cover-up, corruption and conspiracy by PKF and the CHL board after 3 or 4 years of being in dereliction of duty involving criminality and conspiracies.
It is hereby noted that the said three page document which ought to have accompanied the AGM minutes were conspicuously missing, and amounts to more tampering with evidence.
By the year 2014, the illegally constituted board had paid off many objecting shareholders in order to keep themselves being re-elected to the board in an illegal quid pro quo relationship without a word from PKF or the then CHL attorney, Mr Quamina, who was also at the AGM meetings on 8th March 2014, and called for the meeting to be aborted when Ford could no longer command a majority of votes. All these activities as outlined involving PKF, Mr Quamina and the board of CHL are evidence of conspiracy to commit fraud and other crimes and only became known to me when the audits and transcripts of meetings were sent in July 2022. In any event, I am advised that there are no time constraints of fraud charges. The minutes also show a conspiracy to conceal these facts and therefore constitute an obstruction of justice.
The year 2015:
Two representatives from PKF were purportedly present at this 2015 AGM and they apologized
for not having the audits ready for explanation and discussion. Mr Mark Superville, PKF, explained that documents required from CHL’s bankers (RBC) were not ready and speaks of a conspiracy that may now involve RBC Bank if that notation is correct. It is now impossible to access the various explanations offered by PKF at this point since they reek of a conspiracy to commit open fraud and sell the company’s assets without due process and transparency with the directors, the attorneys and probably RBC Bank.
But the absurdity of the proceedings was self-evident since there were no audits to present but the auditor (Mark Superville) still asked if he could answer questions. The company’s internal accountant, one Wendy Toolsie, who is a paid employee of Mrs Ford was offered as support to help with the obvious racket and racketeering. Ms Toolsie explanations were not required by law as PKF was the only ‘independent’ entity empowered by law to assist the shareholders. We note here that after 4 years of criminality, PKF and the board itself were not eligible to be reelected to their respective positions since the audits were the primary duty and responsibility for the appointments of the auditors and the directors and the events described in the AGM involved massive fraud, conspiracy and criminality to deprive the shareholders and the State and are all detailed in the AGM minutes despite the fact that there is ample proof of manipulation of these minutes to conceal crimes.
The offer by Mrs Ford to have Wendy Toolsie answer questions was nonsense, irrelevant and a farce which was forced on ignorant and / or complicit shareholders who were present. Indeed, at this point in 2014, the so called payment of ‘dividends’ continued by Dawn Ford and this equates to bribes paid for shareholders to reelect the board’s in a quid pro quo illegal relationship. These AGM minutes show the activities by PKF were calculated to cover up their own illegalities and those of the board, which as at 2012 were both illegally reelected. Did Mark Superville, a principal at PKF, take comfort that Mrs Ford had majority or total control of shareholders and could treat her like the de facto owner? And even questions concerning payments to certain shareholders which were something that the PKF representatives ought to have answered unprompted were unanswered in the flagrant breach of duties by PKF.
This conspiracy with PKF is evident from the remarks by Dawn Ford under the heading Financial Reports where she “promised to send them off (the 2013 and 2014 audits) to shareholders as soon as possible” without a response from the PKF representatives.
Is that what Mr Superville was there for …. to rubber stamp all non sequitur and illegal, fraudulent and meaningless statements by Ford?
This 2015 meeting was null and void for non-compliance with the laws of T&T as with all other meetings except for the AGM meeting of 2010.
The year 2016:
Once again in 2016 Mr Mark Superville of PKF was said to be in attendance at the AGM and explained incredibly that the audits were just completed in the past 2 days and Chairman Ford unlawfully advised members that any questions they may have can be directed to her personally for answers. This was said in the presence of Mr Superville without his objection since by law, PKF was the independent auditor and was the only person to answer and not the directors. Therefore, implicitly, Mr Superville had unlawful accepted and / or delegated Mrs Ford to answer questions which PKF was obligated to answer in what is an undeniable complicit and illegal relationship. Mrs Ford then proceeds to propose that CHL retains PKF for an additional year, now the sixth year of this illegal relationship between them.
So here we have a company that is said to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars in which PKF present itself but does not offer a word by way of explanation. By their own admission, CHL and PKF admit to a massive cover-up which was in full swing and in plain view. Additionally, once a member makes an objection, their objections and their names are deleted from the records to silence them through conspiracies, fraud, trickery and / or bribery.
The year 2017:
It is noted here that the audit for 2016 was not available without an explanation given but like in previous years Ford indicated they will be sent to shareholders for review. Mr Mark Superville was present and did not see it fit to refuse and / recuse PKF from further participation in the blatant fraud and corruption. He also did not present the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 or 2015 report or was open to discuss any of them even if there were any. Indeed, the records show that the 2011 to 2015 and now 2016 reports were not available to shareholders to discuss at AGMs at any point. The AGM minutes claims that only the 2011 report was ever presented for the annual AGMs and even this is heavily disputed as the minutes were manipulated and doctored including the removal of my name from the records. The directors and auditor brazenly breached the laws to hide their illegal and fraudulent schemes.
The usual inane excuse that CHL should be not change auditors “since it took time for auditors to acquaint with the ways the company worked” …especially since the auditors never provided a single audit in all the six years of their appointments.
The year 2018:
Once again absolutely no audits were presented in 2018 as they “were being finalized and would be sent to shareholders as soon as they were ready” even though all previous years remain outstanding for discussions otherwise. PKF was once present and again reelected to do audits for the coming year in what is now beyond a perennial, sick joke.
The year 2019:
In 2019 the audit for 2018 were not presented without even a mention as though it was unimportant and an optional obstacle to the running a company. PKF was again voted to be reinstalled as the auditor even though they are dubious and are on record for only purportedly providing one annual audit for the year 2011. As at 2019, there were now seven (7) audits that were never presented for discussion and / or questions and / or approval but PKF was rewarded with a reappointment as auditor.
The year 2020:
This AGM was held almost one year after which it was constitutionally due to take place which was almost two (2) years after the previous AGM, and the meeting is still null and void for non-compliance of the laws which is compounded by this act. At this meeting as with many previous years since 2011, PKF had ceased to be a valid, bona fide auditor of CHL… and continue to deceive shareholders and the government authorities.
Again, no audits were presented for the prior year or the missing years and a decision was taken to sell the primary assets, Newsday, without shareholder approval. No valuation was done for any of the assets being sold contrary to law.
The year 2021 and 2022:
The minutes for 2021 show the meeting was not concerned about anything else but to sell the Newsday prized shares for a pittance to Mr Castagne. All other business that ought to be legally discussed at AGM’s was relegated to the back burner.
In light of the extracts taken from AGM minutes, showing the multiple breaches of the Companies Act including Sections 144, 151, 190, 194, 348, 405, 240, and 242; the Board of Inland Revenue Act and other laws, the following facts are irrefutable:
A. Based on the offer and acceptance of the audits that PKF failed to perform their duties in a timely manner that resulted in CHL being unable to fulfill their statutory duties in filing annual returns, paying taxes, approving audits at AGM’s, declaring profits and paying dividends etc. It is noted that illegal “dividends” were paid for each year since 2011 despite the fact that no audits were presented and / or approved or filed with the respective state agencies. It is doubtful that NIB contributions were also submitted.
B.That PKF failed in their duties by not informing the shareholders of CHL of any legal reasons for their failure to present audits and did not tell shareholders that the said directors were ineligible for reelection for their failure to present the annual financial report which is the primary jobs of the directors and auditors.That C. That PKF failed in its duties to advise CHL shareholders that their duties as an independent auditor was to report to the shareholders first and foremost even if it meant running the proverbial bus over the CHL board for the obvious and open breaches?
D. That PKF failed in its duties to inform shareholders that the auditors themselves are also
not re-electable as auditors and promptly issue such a statement and / or recuse themselves from any further activities with CHL.
E. The failure for PKF to appear, present and explain the CHL audits for at least eight (8) years which allowed the directors to evade oversight, scrutiny and accountability for those years according to law and use the company’s funds like their own personal property.
F. That PKF failed to make any report or comments in the annual audits which were said to be purportedly sent (but is hereby denied) and is contrary to the constitution of the company and the laws. It is immaterial whether PKF knew or not that the chairman blamed the failure of audits on missing documents as an obvious ruse to frustrate shareholders and maneuver them to illegally sell the valuable assets. PKF is under sanction by law to report serious discrepancies in the audit, the kind which Mrs Ford was accusing others of doing.
G. That PKF should take equal legal responsibility for throwing the blame on RBC Bank for not supplying documents which they would have known long beforehand and not wait to attend a meeting and cast blame on the RBC Bank.
H. That PKF having completed audits, which is hereby suggested to be fraudulent, even though several years out-of-time, would have realized that breaches of the laws were ongoing including the payment of what was termed ‘dividends’ payment from unaudited accounts, and failed to inform shareholders and Government authorities of the fraud and corruption and are therefore was part and parcel of conspiracies to break the laws and to defraud the State and shareholders.
I. There is an obvious PKF nexus with legal documents presented by CHL contained in an affidavit signed by Mrs Ford dated 14th July 2014 which containing fraudulent statements / accusations against Daniel Chookolingo. Were it not for the shenanigans, complicity and breaches of the laws by PKF and others, Mrs Ford presenting herself as an authorized CHL officer to sign the false affidavit would not have been possible and is therefore part of the end game of the fraudsters; to defraud and / or sell the CHL assets for next to nothing. The firm of PKF ought to be held jointly responsible for being part of supporting the reappointment of the Dawn Ford board that resulted in the fraudulent affidavit.
J. The findings of conspiracy are displayed when on 8th March 2014, more than three years after the job of auditing assignments; the deliberately delayed audit for 2011 was purportedly presented. This date is significant because on 23rd July 2013, a resolution by Dawn Ford to illegally sell CHL assets, failed. That resolution was to sell the entire CHL Company for $8.5 million, after promising trusting and/or complicit shareholders that she will sell the Newsday assets for $100 Million, a proposal which collapsed due to Mrs Ford’s fraud and pending court action.
The only conclusion one can come to is if the sale of the assets was done for $8.5 million dollars in 2013, there would be no need to pursue the missing audits promised by PKF for over 3 years and there were actually only presented by email after a pre-action protocol letter. Meaning, (a) there was never any intention to provide same and / or (b) they were fraudulent manufactured to satisfy Ms Sutton.
Additionally, a key question that would help investigators is whether one Wendy Rampersad (employee of ‘independent audior’ PKF) and Wendy Toolsie (internal accountant/employee for CHL) are one and the same person?
While this is immaterial to the facts since no audits were ever presented, they are instrumental in showing two Wendy’s were simply window dressing by the conspirators as they felt confident in presenting blatant false and useless information as fact and relevant.
The minutes also show various directors and shareholders congratulating themselves for being hard working, transparent, honest, diligent, etc, etc when the facts show the company was headed into disaster with the assets being spirited away or stolen and the company dividends dried up even while the board took credit for a job well done. The reduction of actual dividend involved more corruption as while the only assets of CHL, Newsday, was the single part generating a huge profit of over $20 million dollars annually, but this was around the time Mrs Ford was in charge, these profits were never passed onto shareholders. But Mrs Ford kept the objectors at bay by illegal payments through the slush fund with the approval of PKF. The fact is that not a single audit had been presented except for one purportedly in 2014, which is being disputed, and all payments of ‘dividends’ are entirely illegal payments to gain support for being illegally reappointments ... in order to spirit away the hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade.
In fact the minutes themselves show massive tampering and cover-ups, including at least three meetings which I attended as a proxy for shareholders Vanessa Lincott and Francesca Sutton and my representation was obliterated from the records including documents requesting answers…showing the lengths the board went to in order to falsely show there were lawful meetings and transparency when it fact it was all a con job with the help of professionals including PKF auditors, Keystone auditors and at least three disgraced attorneys.
Since at an AGM meeting in 2021, when I informed members that the AGM was null and void, repeating what Ms Sutton had told Mrs Ford in an email, because of the absence of the audits etc. At that 2021 meeting, Mrs Ford openly replied that shareholders had an option either to get the audits or to get ‘dividends’ but they could not have both. The shareholders at the meeting agreed with Mrs Ford that they would opt for the dividends. With due respect to attorney for CHL, Mr Coppin, who was present and remained silent, that is not the how companies operate.
Indeed, this must be the T&T version of the infamous Arthur Anderson auditors, who conspired with the Enron directors to knowingly present fraudulent and corrupt audits reports causing both companies to collapse. The PKF shenanigans, like their Arthur Anderson counterparts, has caused the virtual collapse of CHL with the stripping of the assets. Needless to say, the decisions to follow certain processes are not up to the shareholders and / or auditors and / or directors as per the remarks of Mrs Ford.
At the time both Arthur Anderson and Enron were in the top five companies in the world and the investigators had no problems in deciding to prosecute the fraudsters.
I reiterate, all this illegal activity came into focus when the directors took it upon themselves to sell the assets in complicity with PKF, causing shareholder Francesca Sutton to resorted to sending a pre-action protocol letter resulting in the availability of the AGM minutes and audits both of which show the fraud, illegalities and crimes. The AGM minutes are self-incriminating and substantiate what is said here.
All actions referred to here are in clear breach of the laws by PKF and / or CHL and / or their attorneys and has allegedly resulted in the loss of hundreds of millions to shareholders and untold payments to the BIR, NIS and other payments of national concern. These missing monies were likely used partly used to pay off objecting shareholders to illegally gain their support. These AGM records which show clear breaches of the laws, fraud and conspiracies are in the words of the perpetrators themselves are not subject to denial and ought to be used to prosecute these parties.
The law broken by the named auditors, attorneys and directors were enacted for the public interests and indeed affects substantial payments to the treasury. Indeed, the overriding picture is that if these serious breaches of the law go unchallenged, they will send a message that it is OK for all and sundry to engage in similar behavior and the unregulated criminal activity by professional auditors and attorneys.
I believe the following charges / declarations ought to be pursued against the offending parties based on the facts outlined but not limited to:
(a) A declaration that all AGM meetings of CHL be declared null and void ab initio with the exception of the meeting held on 18th December 2010.
(b) A declaration that the appointments of auditors and directors since 18th June 2011, were null and void for breach of their duties and obligations under the laws.
(C) Repayment and / or restitution of all monies used illegally from the CHL bank accounts by the directors and / or auditors and / or attorneys since 18th June 2011, which is the expiration date of the lawfully appointed board and PKF auditors.
(d) A declaration that the activities of the auditors and directors were fraudulent and involved conspiracies to defraud, theft and other illegal acts
(e) A Notice to ICATT that the firm of PKF ought to be struck from the list of authorized auditors registered with them
(f) A notice to ICATT that the firm of Keystone auditors who assumed the audits from PKF should also be struck from the list of authorized auditors registered with them
(g) A Notice to the Registrar of Companies that the current directors of CHL, namely Dawn Ford, Cindi Da Costa and Joyce Sinanan, be removed from currently holding directorships of CHL and any other company registered as operating in Trinidad and Tobago.
(h) An interim order to prevent the company from being wound up as per the stated intentions of the board
(i) An order for a full forensic audit of CHL and its subsidiaries.
I now note that because of these conspiracies which are shown to exists, it is now established that a credible nexus exists with conspiracies between CHL and PKF as they relate to threats against persons connected with the illegal sale of the company and / or its assets as reported by Ms Suzanne Mills, who coincidentally is now deceased. Similar attempts on my life have also been reported. I note here that many of the people involved and identified in this report, many of them from professional firms who are in some way linked to the ruling political party and the local oligarchs. The sums involved here are tremendous. Several recent reports in the local media (see Express article dated 17th March 2024, headlined ‘Official: ‘Death squad’ operating at State agency’) show there is need that I should be worried for my life. As a result I hereby request that you have discussions the police commissioner or other authorities with the view of providing personal protection for me.
Please let me have your answer as to your proposed actions in three (3) months from the date of this letter as we are aware that aggrieved parties are being encouraged to take the laws into their own hands.
Sincerely,
Daniel Chookolingo
CC: PKF Global
PKF, T&T
ICATT (Institute of Chartered Accountants)
Transparency International
Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute
Registrar of Companies
Board of Inland Revenue (BIR)
National Insurance Board (NIB)
See attachments: DC1, DC2 and AGM Minutes from 2010 to 2021
