Cateau arrested on corruption charges

A World Bank procurement specialist manager, working for the Emergency Recovery and Disaster Management Unit in the Central Planning Division, has been arrested on corruption charges this week.
Peter Cateau, who has been residing at Arnos Vale for some time now, was arrested in Trinidad and placed on EC$250, 000 (TT$.5 million) bail when he appeared before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate on Tuesday.{{more}}
A reliable source told SEARCHLIGHT that Cateau, who has been working here for just over a year now, travels to Trinidad and Tobago almost every weekend. However last weekend, after learning that a warrant was out for him in his homeland, he allegedly made arrangements with authorities there for his surrender and turned himself over to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) early Tuesday morning.
Cateau a former client representative with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Works and Transport, was charged with conspiring to obtain contracts and payments or settlements for a total face value of up to TT$1.6 billion between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2001.
It is claimed his charge also includes abuse of public office.
Cateau is expected to join nine other persons, on corruption charges arising out of the Piarco Airport Development Project. Two former Government Ministers are said to be among the group.
The other accused are former Ministers Brian Kuei Tung and Sadiq Baksh, former Airports Authority Chairman Tyrone Gopee and Ameer Edoo, former Nipdec Chairman Edward Bayley, Ishwar Galbaransingh and Amrith Maharaj, Chairman and CEO of Nothern Construction, Maritime Executive Steve Ferguson and businesswoman Renee Pierre, who have already appeared in court and have been granted a total bail of EC$5 million (TT$10 million) bail.