Petrotrin procedures at fault, says company in ‘fake oil’ probe

(Trinidad Guardian) A and V Oil and Gas limited, through its attorneys, says any discrepancies between reported oil production in its Exploration and Production Operations and the actual production receipts at Pointea-Pierre is the fault of state-owned Petrotrin.

The company’s attorney Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC said A and V’s legal team had retained a Canadian Forensic Oil and Gas Expert with the equivalent skill and experience of Kroll Consulting Canada Company, the company used by Petrotrin for their forensic audit, to give an opinion on the Internal Audit Report which Petrotrin had relied on.

“That opinion shows there is no evidence that A and V committed any fraud or breach of contract or that A and V supplied any fake oil to Petrotrin,” Maharaj said. He, however, did not name the company hired by A and V’s Legal team.

In a media release on Saturday, Maharaj said if such discrepancies existed, it was the fault of Petrotrin and the systems and procedures it used to record the supply of crude oil from contractors to the Barrackpore Tank Farm.

The release further stated that discrepancies, if they existed, did not constitute fraudulent conduct or a breach of contract by A and V.

Maharaj’s release was a direct response to a statement released on Friday by Petrotrin, which said a forensic report by Kroll Consulting Canada Company had confirmed the report of an internal audit done by the company, which first highlighted discrepancies.

That internal audit was made public during a political party meeting by Opposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar and dubbed the “fake oil” fiasco.