PM Kamla Persad announces new board for Caribbean Airlines after $260 million scam

During a media briefing, the Prime Minister accused the former Caribbean Airlines board of deceiving the nation about the airline's financial status.

Written by Amara Campbell

Published On 2025-06-09 08:15:20

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PM Kamla Persad

Trinidad and Tobago: During a post cabinet press conference held at the Red House in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced a new leadership for Caribbean Airlines emphasizing that the airline is under a large $260 million debt.

During the media briefing the Prime Minister said that the previous board of the Caribbean Airlines had been lying to the whole nation about their economic state. She stressed that CAL has been saying that they are doing great not just on national but international levels and have not been paying the debt, emphasizing that they have been lying to the whole nation.

PM Kamla said that not even a single penny has been paid of this acquired money by the previous board members. She said that the debt had been rolled over year after year which she claimed was dishonesty towards the public who are meant to be aware of all the information. She then added that the airlines should take an immediate action in response to the debt, or else they could end in blacklist and collapse.

Persad Bissessar in response to this took a strict action and appointed a new board for not just Caribbean airlines, but the water and sewage authority (WASA) as well. The new board directors for CAL will have Reyna Kowlessar, current company secretary at NIPDEC who will acquire the new chair of the airlines. Videsh Praim as the vice chairman of finance, and others including Darren Ali, Selwyn Cudjoe and Lauren Perth.

WASA’s new board on the other hand will have Attorney Roshan Babwah as the chairman, Dr Maurice Hoyte as deputy chairman and other members including Tawari Tota Maharaj, Kern D Saney, Naveen Maraj, Chaitram Brown, Indra Mohammed, and Patricia Herry.

While concluding her address, PM Kamla Persad said that Trinidad and Tobago will have more and significant changes ahead as she highlighted that the government is working to appoint new board members for the electricity commission, CEPEP and TTT board.