Senior Investigative Reporter
In less than 14 months, 67 individuals on State boards or in public offices have either left their positions, been fired or been placed on administrative leave.
The 67 people include those who resigned, were terminated, sent on leave, forced into pre-retirement, had their appointments revoked, departed due to health issues or entered into mutual separation agreements under the United National Congress (UNC) administration.
Many of these individuals were CEOs, directors, executive members, chairmen and managers.
Out of the 22 people affected this year, two held senior positions at Caribbean Airlines (CAL).
Last year, 36 individuals chose to resign, were fired, forced out or had their appointments rescinded.
A tabulation showed that last year, nine CAL workers, who were part of a leadership team, including CEO Garvin Madera, stepped down from their roles.
The figure was compiled by Guardian Media using Google as a research tool and various media reports from June 24, 2025, to August 4, 2026.
Among the State companies that have seen a wave of resignations were CAL, Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT), First Citizens Bank (FCB), and National Gas Company (NGC).
CAL topped the list with 11 workers departing the national airline.
There were four resignations from NGC, while FCB and TSTT each had three individuals who left their positions.
Last year, nine executive members of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), including its CEO Keithroy Halliday, were fired weeks after the UNC assumed office.
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel, also faced the axe.
In a shocking move, Hayden Phillip, who served as programme director of the Programme for Upgrading Roads Efficiency (PURE), was sent on administrative leave along with nine other staff members in November 2025.
This year, five individuals were sent on administrative leave, one of whom was Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe, after the Prison Officers’ Association complained about alleged VIP treatment to businessman Dominic Hadeed while he was imprisoned.
An employee of the UNC Caroni East constituency office was recently placed on administrative leave pending a probe by police after allegations surfaced on social media.
The UNC was elected into office on April 28, 2025, under the leadership of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Resignation, revocation and retirement
In the first week of January 2026, David Robinson resigned as a director of the majority state-owned National Enterprises Ltd (NEL).
A post on the T&T Stock Exchange stated that Robinson’s resignation took effect on January 7.
Robinson was the fourth NEL director to leave the board since September 2025.
Two days after Robinson called it quits, Jayselle McFarlane stepped down as managing director at the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) after giving almost five years of service.
McFarlane cited personal reasons for her departure.
HDC put Wazeer Aleem to act until a suitable candidate is found.
The top position was advertised on the corporation’s My HDC Home Facebook page, with July 27 as the deadline date.
In February, Mervyn Gibson, the acting human resources director at WASA, also threw in the towel, stating that his departure was his personal choice.
Angostura Holdings Ltd deputy CEO-International Sales, Rahim Mohammed, was sent on paid administrative leave from February 26, pending the outcome of a probe.
Days later, Mohammed resigned.
The T&T government has partial ownership of Angostura Holdings.
Mohammed, a long-serving executive who joined the company in 2017, was most recently credited with spearheading the launch of the “STR8 VYBZ” rum collection in collaboration with Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel.
Mohammed was appointed deputy CEO in April 2025.
The Estate Management Business Development Company (EMBD) removed its CEO Eric Griffith on March 4.
To ensure continuity, EMBD’s board appointed corporate secretary Kavita Sarran as acting CEO, in addition to her existing duties.
EMBD is now on the hunt for a new CEO.
In March, it was reported that the general manager of the National Investment Fund Holding Company Ltd, Wayne Dass, had tendered his resignation.
The resignation took effect on June 12.
Dass took up the position on March 5 last year.
On March 6, Neela Moonilal-Kissoon announced that she was leaving FCB Group as its deputy CEO, operations and administration.
Moonilal-Kissoon was appointed to the role in December 2023.
She had been employed with the group for 25 years.
The CEO of the Sports Company of T&T, Jason Williams, vacated his post on March 31 after his contract was not renewed.
lliams, who joined the organisation in 2012, had been in the position full-time since 2020.
Arlene George has since replaced Williams.
Also resigning in March was National Flour Mills Ltd CEO Ian Mitchell, ending a five-year tenure.
Mitchell said he was moving on to another opportunity.
Just seven months after taking up the acting CEO role at CAL, Nirmala Ramai stepped down on April 13, 2026.
Varma Khillawan, the company’s vice president of maintenance and engineering, was appointed to act as CAL’s CEO for three months.
In April, the head of the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of police Surrendra Sagramsingh, was sent on leave as part of a probe into the murder of acting corporal Anusha Eversley and the theft of guns and ammunition at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station. ACP Wayne Mystar was appointed to fill the post.
The country learnt of a leadership shake-up at Amplia Communications Ltd in April, with general manager Shawn Clarke out.
The company confirmed in a statement that Bridget Rattan had been appointed acting general manager following Clarke’s departure from the organisation.
It was reported that Clarke was allegedly terminated by TSTT, the parent company of Amplia.
CAL lost another member of its senior leadership team in May with the departure of Nichelle Granderson, who was the human resources vice president, a position which she held for only four months.
The airline has been actively seeking to fill these roles, but industry experts have said it is highly unusual to see so many leadership departures in such a short period.
In May, chairman of Paria Fuel Trading Company (PFTC), Nyree Alfonso, resigned with immediate effect, after serving the energy company for a mere ten months.
On July 1, 2025, Alfonso, an attorney, became chairman.
She denied suggestions that she was asked to leave the energy company, which is under Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd.
Alfonso said her decision was based on personal reasons and other opportunities that she wished to explore in her career.
On July 7, First Citizens Group announced the resignation of Neesha Ramkhalawan, who served as its acting group chief risk officer, bringing an end to a career at the financial institution.
TSTT was dealt a hard blow when two directors recently resigned.
The first was Kyle Maloney, who stepped down from the post on July 3.
Days later, on July 22, Nadira Prabhudial left the telecommunications provider, having been appointed to the TSTT board in June of 2025.
Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath dismissed allegations that the two resignations were linked to internal disagreements or governance issues at the State-owned telecommunications company, insisting that professional commitments outside of the company prompted their departures.
The sudden resignations reduced TSTT’s board to three members.
They are chairman Kern Dass and directors Randy Ramthahal and Cassilina Kelshall.
Last Tuesday, Daniel Thornhill was named as a new TSTT director.
In late July, an employee of the UNC’s Caroni East constituency office was placed on immediate administrative leave after allegations involving the staff member surfaced on social media.
In a statement issued, Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecheran said the office became aware of allegations involving one of its employees that had been circulating on Facebook.
“Upon being made aware of these allegations, immediate administrative action was taken. The employee in question has been sent on administrative leave with immediate effect, pending an investigation by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,” the statement said.
Last month, Prisons Commissioner Carlos Corraspe was sent on leave, days after the Prison Officers’ Association complained about alleged VIP treatment being given to businessman Dominic Hadeed, who was incarcerated at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca under the Preventative Detention Order. It was later revealed he was sent on four months of accumulated vacation leave.
A notice in the T&T Gazette dated August 10, 2026, by acting permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance, V Maharaj, showed that Arjoon Harripaul had resigned from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) board with effect from June 17, 2026.
However, the notice also showed that Harripaul was appointed chairman of the HSF from June 30, 2026, for a period of three years.
The Gazette also stated that the term of Ewart Williams, a member of the HSF, expired on April 27, 2026.
CEO of the National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation, Nirmala Debysingh, was sent on administrative leave on August 3 with full benefits and salary.
On August 4, the country woke up to the news that FCB’s CEO, Jason Julien, would leave the majority state-owned bank on August 31, after serving in the position for nine months.
Insisting he was not forced out, Julien said he was presented with an opportunity to work for a US company.
A wave of departures and firings
Dr Alvin Hilaire’s appointment as Central Bank Governor was revoked on June 24, 2025, by President Christine Kangaloo, at the request of Persad-Bissessar-led Cabinet.
Former finance minister Larry Howai assumed the role of Central Bank Governor the next day.
Hilaire filed a lawsuit against the State claiming he was wrongfully dismissed.
Last July, TSTT CEO Kent Western resigned and was immediately replaced by Keino Cox as acting CEO.
Western had been promoted to CEO in September 2024, following the departure of Lisa Agard in November 2023.
There has been a major shake-up at WASA with the firing of Keithroy Halliday as its CEO in June 2025, six months after he assumed the top post.
Nine other senior executives were also dismissed from WASA weeks after the UNC was elected into office.
The day the executive team was sent packing, WASA approved a new organisational structure which took effect immediately.
WASA replaced Halliday with Jeevan Joseph.
However, five months after taking up the CEO position, Joseph called it quits last November, citing personal reasons.
Last July, Gerald Ramdeen was a replacement for Dr Randy Ramadharsingh, who had been appointed NGC chairman in June, before his appointment was revoked a month later.
Erik Keskula stepped down in July of 2025 as CEO of Heritage Petroleum, with his resignation taking effect on September 30.
The board appointed Kerry Rampersad to act as CEO.
The same day Keskula announced his departure, National Energy president Vernon Paltoo proceeded on pre-retirement leave after serving more than two decades at the State-owned energy facilitator.
Paltoo went on retirement leave ahead of his official retirement in April 2026.
Sources claimed Paltoo was forced into pre-retirement leave.
T&T Electricity Commission general manager Chrisalston Belle resigned effective August 31, 2025, ending a 33-year-long career with the commission.
Belle was appointed general manager on January 1 and was on probation.
It was reported that FCB’s group CEO Karen Darbasie had resigned from her post, but she had proceeded on vacation leave last August, months ahead of her retirement from the company.
After serving the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) for 13 years, Hazar Hosein resigned in August 2025.
Shelly Sultani-Khan was appointed to act.
A source at LSA claimed that the moment the topic of resignation arose, Hosein threw in the towel.
Verlier Quan-Vie, NGC’s vice president for commercial, resigned on September 30 last year.
Last October, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel, was fired and replaced by Captain Don Polo.
Toni Sirju-Ramnarine resigned in October as president of NGC Green Company, citing health reasons.
Lake Asphalt of T&T acting CEO Swedaka Matthews was sent on leave in November.
Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd president Dominic Rampersad had also taken up early retirement effective November 21, 2025.
Hours after Rampersad’s exit, NGC revoked the appointment of director Dr Ahmad Khan, a mere four months after he was installed at the energy company.
On November 24, 2025, Romel Lalloo, 71, was terminated from the board of Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Ltd (TPHL), three months after his appointment by the UNC.
Lalloo said he was falsely accused of sexual harassment by an employee.
The country expressed shock at the sudden termination of Exim Bank CEO Navin Dookeran in December 2025.
Dookeran was summoned by the bank’s new chairman, Edwin Chariah and informed he was dismissed with immediate effect after six and a half years in the role.
No reason was given for his dismissal.
Hayden Phillip, who served as programme director of PURE, an agency in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, was sent on administrative leave along with nine other staff members in November 2025.
Appointed on August 1, 2025, as president of Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation Ltd, Dr Curtis Dennie resigned on December 31.
Cooper: Stability of
public service affected
Retired head of the public service Reynold Cooper said people resign, take early retirement or are dismissed from State boards for various reasons.
However, Cooper said when members of State boards leave in rapid succession, there are repercussions.
“When you have a change in managers very regularly, you have the new person coming in and has to learn the work… and learn it very fast. And most likely (they) may make errors based on inexperience. But it does affect the stability of the public service when you have those changes happening on a frequent basis.”
He said if someone is dismissed, they should be told why.
“To summarise, persons who have been dismissed or asked to resign should be given a reason. So they will know. And the person should be made to defend themselves. Either accept it or defend it.”
Cooper, who served the public service for over three decades, emphasised that when a CEO, chairman, manager or director is placed on administrative leave, the State should provide timely updates.
He pointed out that people are sent on leave with or without pay.
The suspended person who receives their salary can still pay their bills, whereas the individual whose salary has been suspended would find it difficult to manage and would feel victimised.
“Administrative leave should not exceed, in my view, one month. Beyond that, it means then you are being victimised, in my view. If you are sent on a long leave and there is no investigation and it keeps going on and on, persons may want to pursue legal action.”
Cooper said people who are sent on leave normally return to work.
“The majority of them I know came back out to work. In a very minimal case, we find that after an investigation, they were dismissed on the information that they had.”
Efforts to get a response from government officials were unsuccesful.
Former TPHL director: My name stink up all over the place
Nine months after being terminated as a director at TPHL on allegations of sexual harassment, Romel Lalloo told the Sunday Guardian on Thursday that no investigation was conducted and the identity of the victim remained unknown.
Lalloo felt he was targeted for raising concerns.
“And everybody was hush-hush about it. It was a ploy to get rid of me,” he claimed.
Lalloo is a qualified accountant and has a background in finance.
The dismissal, he said, left a sour taste in his mouth.
“Let me tell you something, what they did to me I have to put it behind my back. My name stink up all over the place…all over Trinidad. Look, I don’t want to hear nothing about them,” he said, referring to the UNC.
Asked if he intended to take legal action, Lalloo said no.
Since 1983, Lalloo has been a supporter of the party.
Lalloo said he was waiting for the UNC candidate to come to his area to canvass votes for the upcoming local government elections.
“I intend to embarrass him,” he said.
Since his appointment was revoked by NGC last November, Dr Ahamad Khan said he had received no word from the energy company regarding the reason/s for his termination.
“I still don’t know,” Khan said during a brief telephone conversation.
Having been sent on administrative leave nine months ago as programme director of PURE, Hayden Phillip advised the Sunday Guardian to direct all questions to the ministry’s permanent secretary.
“I can’t comment on that,” was Phillip’s curt response.
Nyree Alfonso, who stepped down as chairman of PFTC three months ago, said she has since resumed her practice full-time as an attorney.
She said the position as chairman of a board is part-time.
“I fell back into my normal daily routine and have been concentrating on my work and trying to lend my broad experience not only here, but regionally.”
Last month, Alfonso, a maritime law expert, was appointed to the Commission of Inquiry, established by Guyana President Irfaan Ali to investigate the tragedy surrounding the MV Barima, which capsized on July 18, while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma, in what has become the country’s deadliest maritime tragedy, with more than 70 passengers losing their lives.
“I seem to generate very strong emotions. Either you strongly dislike me…you can’t stand my guts, or strongly like me. I am sure the people out here who can’t stand my best bone, well that is par for the course. I am not a politician. I am not looking for everybody to love me. I am not asking for anyone’s vote.”
Alfonso stated she has no rancour with anyone.
