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Case of T&TEC’s $26,000 missing chair
By By ANIKA GUMBS CCN Senior Multimedia Investigate Journalist
Story Created: Apr 11, 2015 at 10:02 PM ECT
Story Updated: Apr 11, 2015 at 10:02 PM ECT
The exact location of a luxurious vibrating massage chair valued at $26,558.68 that was purchased for Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) chairman Sushilla Ramkissoon-Mark is unknown.
T&TEC general manager Kelvin Ramsook could not say where the executive chair was when the Sunday Express contacted him on April 2.
The Global Concorde 2406-18 multi-tilter executive desk chair with pulsor massage feature was purchased for the boardroom to be used by Ramkissoon-Mark, wife of House Speaker Wade Mark.
Internet checks indicated the chair — which has eight massage motors, six in the chair back and two in the seat — is supplied by Comfort House in the United States and priced at US$2,463.50.
Sunday Express investigations revealed that by purchase order S40-00005926 dated November 11, 2013, senior engineer in the communications/network department Ian Chin Pang requested the executive chair from Bewil & Company Ltd.
Three days later on November 14, 2013, Bewil &Company Ltd confirmed purchase of the executive chair via a quotation request that was sent to another senior employee, Darren Robinson.
At the time the chair was purchased, the maintenance department, situated at Mount Hope, fell under the communications/networking department that was headed by Chin Pang.
But according to Ramsook, the executive chair was never sent to the boardroom after it was delivered to T&TEC on January 22, 2014.
Asked where chair was now Ramsook said: “That is a good question. I will have to verify that. It is either in the maintenance department or with some other officer.
Certainly, the chair is not in the office of the general manager or in the boardroom. I want to make it abundantly clear that the chair was never used in the boardroom. I have to verify where the chair is now.”
As to why a decision was taken to purchase a $26,000-plus chair, Ramsook said: “It was a bad decision made by the employees to acquire such a chair. The chairman had a chair that was not good- it was old. Therefore, the chairman would have asked the relevant section for a replacement chair.
“They may have been a bit exuberant in terms of their enthusiasm and they decided to get that particular chair.
“When the value of the chair was brought to my attention I found it was highly unacceptable and I insisted that the chair was returned.
“T&TEC had no choice based on the legal correspondence from the supplier. I directed the correspondence to the senior officer in charge of the department responsible for replacing chairs.
“At the time the chairman also expressed concern. Unfortunately, because the commitment was already made by officers in the maintenance department a legal letter was sent to T&TEC by the supplier of the chair and having examined the facts the commission realised that we had no choice but to go forward with it. ”
Checks at various other State agencies indicate that the sum of $2,500 to $5,000 is the estimated cost spent on chairs for staff at the executive level.
The Sunday Express contacted Bewil & Company Ltd last week enquiring whether they had a 2406-18 Global Concorde executive chair in stock.
An employee speaking under the condition of anonymity said that the specific brand is purchased by orders only.
Ramsook, however, distanced himself from the acquisition of the executive chair indicating that departmental heads had a spending limit of $30,000.
“I do not get involved with the purchasing of chairs.
Anywhere in this organisation people have limits up to a certain value.
They could be buying things of all kinds of values. Whenever I pick it up the audit department will get involved.
When it was brought to my attention I wrote. I am very meticulous. Certainly the chair was not being purchased for me. The general manager does not need another chair in his office. Worse yet, the colour of the chairs in my office is beige, so why would I want to buy a green chair for my office. A head of department’s limit is $30,000 so he can sign the purchase order and I will not know because they have limits. They all sign on behalf of me.
“I would not have signed for that chair. Whoever bought the chair would have signed for it. I don’t even know who bought the chair until (the Sunday Express) called me.
“I know that a chair was bought. I pulled the file and after looking at the purchase order I have to figure out whose signature is that.”
But while Ramsook was apparently unable to identify the signature on the purchase order, Chin Pang acknowledged that the purchase order had his signature on it.
Information blocked off on quotation
Perusal of the quotation request by the Sunday Express revealed that a piece of paper was used to block off handwritten information listed on the top right-hand side of the document before it was sent.
The quotation request formed part of a bundle of documents Ramsook e-mailed to the Sunday Express on April 2 regarding the purchase of the executive chair.
And in response to queries by Sunday Express as whether the document was tampered with, Ramsook’s assistant Gail Thomas, e-mailed the Sunday Express on April 7 taking responsibility for the act.
The e-mail read: “Please be informed that in my innocence I simply covered the phone numbers with an adhesive sticker since I was of the opinion that the numbers had no relevance to the core content of the enquiry/investigation...In addition, the information (phone number) is written with pencil or ink that when copied, would have the appearance that seems to be distorted.”
Ramsook also forwarded a copy of an e-mail that was sent to another senior employee on the issue of the executive chair.
The e-mail dated January 30, 2014 read: “The chairman expressed concern over the cost of the chair for the boardroom. She directed that the chair be promptly returned indicating that management need to be more cost conscious in acquisition of terms for the Commission. She indicated that she will make do with the old existing chair. Please return the chair and get a full refund.”
However, the March 19, 2014 legal letter that was sent to T&TEC cited the delay of payment because the colour of the chair was wrong.
Attorney Andre Rudder who is attached to law chambers J D Sellier & Co acting on behalf of Bewil & Company Ltd wrote: “By purchase order dated November 11, 2013 No. S40-00005926, Mr Darren Robinson, on behalf of T&TEC, requested our client to supply and deliver one model 2406-18 Grade 10 genuine leather office chair for the chairman of T&TEC for the sum of $26,558.68.”
The letter further said: “Our client instructs us that you have since failed and/or refused to pay for the said chair on the ground that the chairman for whom it was purchased did not like the colour notwithstanding that the chair that was delivered was precisely the chair that was requested.”
By letter dated April 24, 2014, Ramsook responded to Bewil & Company taking issue with the legal letter that was sent to the T&TEC and sections of its contents.
Ramsook said: “Firstly, the Commission has over the years, been engaging in business with Bewil &Company Ltd. It is against the background of this good-faith relationship , that the Commission is somewhat alarmed that upon experiencing difficulty in securing payment, Bewil & Company Ltd did not immediately contact a senior employee at the Commission to ascertain the reason for the delay in payment...”
The letter further read: “Secondly, the commission was further aggrieved and affronted by the contents of paragraph six of your letter which we are firmly of the opinion seeks to bring the chairman into odium and disrepute…As such, the commission wishes to make pellucidly clear that the libellous statement made in your letter are untrue and do not in anyway represent the Commission’s reason for delayed payment on the chair.”
Bewil & Company Ltd was paid for the executive chair on April 22, 2014.
Chin Pang: I did not act on my own
And while Ramsook is pointing fingers at the maintenance department, describing the purchase of the executive chair as “ highly unacceptable”, Sunday Express investigations revealed that the department was acting on orders.
In fact, Ching Pang told Sunday Express on April 2 that the executive chair was purchased after it was sampled by Ramkissoon-Mark.
Chin Pang who retired in June 2014 said: “I obviously cannot purchase something without a purchase order.
The chair was for the chairman. First of all, I cannot take it upon myself to buy anything for the commission.
What I remember is that the chairperson wanted to try a number of chairs. Samples of chairs from different companies were brought to T&TEC. The chairperson tried them all and then that particular chair was selected.”
Acknowledging that his signature was affixed to the purchase order, Chin Pang said: “ Once a purchase order goes out to the supplier it means that the relevant documentation was already signed. One person cannot make a decision to purchase a $26,000-plus chair. I certainly don’t know where the chair is. I could have never acted on my own and decided to buy that chair. I think I am being blamed because I am no longer at T&TEC.”
Ramkissoon-Mark: I don’t deal with procurement
The Sunday Express contacted Ramkissoon-Mark on April 3 asking whether she had sampled the 26,558.68 chair and requested that specific model.
However, Ramkissoon-Mark did not confirm or deny that she sampled the chair but said: “ My position is that I am not involved in procurement. I use the boardroom once a month to hold meetings. I sit on a chair once a month.”
Adding that the purchasing of office furniture and supplies were not part of her functions, Ramkissoon-Mark said: “My position as chairman of the board is to chart the strategic course of the organisation and I am also responsible for the formulation of policy.
I am certainly not involved in procurement and the daily operations of the organisation. As such, I will not be responsible for purchasing toilet paper, paper clips or chairs for that matter. I am really nonplus on this issue. It is simply not my role.”
