By Stephen Cummings
Caribbean Net News Trinidad and Tobago Correspondent
Email: stephen@caribbeannetnews.com

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad:  Trinidad and Tobago's Attorney General, John Jeremie, has told the nation that the government has been successful in retrieving millions of dollars stolen by several persons connected to the TT$1.6 billion Piarco Airport scandal.

The project was completed in the year 2000 under the past UNC administration and the allegations of fraud involved former government ministers.

Building of the airport and the process used came under national and international scrutiny when it was learnt that substandard work had been done at the airport. Money was also channeled from the project to private bank accounts in the US and other parts of the world.

Speaking in the House of Representative on Wednesday, Jeremie said some persons have already been jailed in the US and that he wanted to bring everyone up to date on the matter, listing some of the money that have been returned to the country.

"Mr Speaker, we can announced this afternoon that we have in fact already received substantial payments of the proceeds. Mr Eduardo Hillman-Waller, a former partner in the Birk Hillman group, has materially complied with the court order through the payment of TT$9,561,010.06. This money, millions of dollars has now been returned to the treasury of Trinidad and Tobago and to the people of Trinidad and Tobago to whom it rightfully belongs," said Jeremie as he spoke in Parliament on Wednesday.

He went on to list the names of other persons from whom monies have also been retrieved. There were some murmurs in Parliament when the attorney general read out a letter from Moriah Rodriquez one of the accused now serving time in jail. He said Rodriquez had apologised for defrauding the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

According to Jeremie, the government will remain relentless in bringing to justice all those guilty of corruption in the project.