Harish Monorath, and former director  Wendy Jap-A-Joe. Transportation, Communications and Tourism (TCT) Minister  Raymond

Landveld recently revealed in parliament that the then President Chan Santokhi and the then Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk played a prominent role in the matter. A presidential resolution made it possible to bench the TCT minister so that executives at TAS could bypass him and take action without his consent. Landveld confirmed that during the previous administration huge sums of money were sent from TAS to the Office of the Vice President. MP Mahinder Jogi (VHP) recently sounded the alarm over financial irregularities. The former director and the former chairman of the board could make decisions freely at the organization which is the telecommunications watchdog. The minister made it clear that the telecommunications law clearly state that the minister of TCT must confirm decisions after having consulted with the board of directors and after having received the approval of the council of ministers. The presidential resolution which was aimed at benching the TCT minister raises many questions. The then chairman of the board of directors signed important documents without the approval of the minister. “That still does not have to mean that he crossed the line. But there are no documents to prove that the then minister had given him green light,” Minister Landveld told parliament. Landveld explained that the minister had in fact placed his signature on previous agreements between the TAS and a director. The labor agreement of Jap-A-Joe that was signed by Monorath is currently being reviewed under a magnifying glass because this contract awards her a gigantic package that contains generous financial benefits. The director was awarded s gross monthly salary of $4,000 with additional bonuses, retirement benefits and a life insurance policy of € 125,000. According to the contract, she is also entitled to health insurance for herself and all of the members of her family. In case she was ever to be deemed unfor for Labor, she would keep receiving her salary for a long period of time. If her contract were to be terminated,

 JapA-Joe would also be able to leave with the company car free of charge. The questions regarding the controversial contract visibly annoyed former Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk who is currently a legislator and chairman of the ABOP. He defended Monorath and claimed that the actions of the former chairman of the board of directors were based on the presidential resolution. “No irath there cannot be held liable for the procedure that he followed,” said MP Brunswijk. Despite his explanation several legislators remained unconvinced and even the members of the coalition made it clear that the presidential resolution could not be placed above the law.