Former public utilities minister Marvin Gonzales says the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) maintains an internal list of high-profile customers, including ministers, judges and diplomats, to monitor accounts flagged for disconnection or unusual activity.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Gonzales said the list exists solely to allow T&TEC to contact those customers if issues arise with their accounts and does not exempt them from paying electricity bills.
His comments came in response to allegations raised by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in Parliament last week concerning a purported “protected list” of customers linked to the People’s National Movement (PNM).
Gonzales said he had researched the matter and had been reliably informed that the list was an internal administrative tool used by the commission.
“Those customers ARE NOT AWARE that their accounts are flagged for this purpose because it is an internal matter with the Commission and has no intervention or control by office holders outside of the Commission,” he wrote.
He maintained that customers on the list continue to receive bills and remain subject to T&TEC’s payment requirements.
Gonzales also denied receiving any special treatment while serving as a government minister.
“I can personally say for a fact that no one in TTEC informed me that my account was flagged in this manner and I have consistently paid my Bills before and after holding ministerial office,” he wrote.
He challenged Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath and T&TEC to prove otherwise and authorised the release of his T&TEC billing records for the past ten years.
Gonzales accused the Prime Minister of creating the impression that individuals named on the list did not pay their electricity bills, describing that suggestion as false.
The issue emerged after Persad-Bissessar disclosed in Parliament that T&TEC maintained a list containing the names of several prominent individuals, including former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley and his wife Sharon Rowley, and questioned why their accounts had been flagged.
Gonzales argued that the list included individuals from various backgrounds and affiliations and said its existence should not be interpreted as evidence that those customers were exempt from payment obligations.
