I read about the untimely passing of Ken Fitz-Andrews and it added to the cold chill here in London. I knew Ken and had come to respect him as a caring, patriotic and proud man. He was destroyed because he could not stomach the corruption he was seeing at UTT where he was the Vice President of Finance. When he tried to expose it, he was fired. His termination was justified on the basis of a spurious allegation that he misused his corporate credit card.
Ken was fired from a job that paid $32,500 a month because he was asking far too many questions. It was alleged that he misused a company credit card, but he maintained that he was removed from the job following queries into certain issues at UTT. He was instrumental in the establishment of the National Insurance Board in the 1970s and served for many years as its financial comptroller. He migrated to Canada, where he was a university lecturer and ran his own accounting firm, until in 2005. He had about 40 years’ experience in the fields of accounting and finance and returned to take up this position at UTT because he was asked to do so by a PNM Minister.
Ken was suspended from his post of VP Finance, UTT on September 9, 2005. A series of investigative articles by Camini Maraj prompted the Integrity Commission to launch an investigation into the allegations of corruption Ken made against UTT head Prof Ken Julien. The investigations were completed and Ken seemed happy with the assurances he was given about ‘swift action’ by the investigators. Instead, the Integrity Commission shelved it and then killed it by inexplicably delaying every step that needed to be taken.
As the years rolled on, Ken slowly lost faith in the Integrity Commission. Several approaches were made to him to try and ‘resolve’ the matter but he persisted. “How can you resolve corruption”, he jokingly asked. He was told he Julien was a black intellectual of international stature and that he was attacking his own and that he should back off. He refused and paid the ultimate price.
Out of the blue, almost four years after he was dismissed, just when Ken felt the Integrity Commission might act, he was sued by UTT for monies it was alleged he spent using UTT’s credit card. The timing was strange, to say the least. It was clearly designed to apply maximum pressure at a time when Ken was at its lowest. For good measure, UTT even hired a Senior Counsel (Seenath Jairam – Counsel to the ill-fated Uff Inquiry), to represent it in a small claim that ordinarily wouldn’t attract such a heavyweight.
Whilst the Integrity Commission was busy doing nothing, Ken sued for unlawful dismissal. My colleague Derek Ali kindly agreed to assist Ken in his legal matters pro bono. Justice was his only hope. Alas, justice was far too slow. The Industrial Court took forever to determine whether Ken fell within the definition of a ‘worker’ that could bring a claim. This point was decided against him and Ken appealed the decision but has now died waiting on a date for the trial of his matter in the Court of Appeal. In short, the very institutions that were established to protect vulnerable victims of injustice who were aggrieved defeated Ken. Instead, these institutions help to protect the culprits because the slow pace of justice and political interference takes no notice of the pain and suffering of people like Ken.
Ken was a proud man and I saw the system slowly eat away at his determination to do the right thing. It was a painful process. Imagine, a man who was an accomplished financial wizard, languishing, waiting and hoping for justice from the Integrity Commission and the courts. His shoulders dropped, body language changed and then, he was on his knees. His crime: he crossed swords with the government’s energy guru, Prof Ken Julien.
The final humiliation of this hero was an article I saw in this newspaper advertising a garage sale Ken was forced to hold to survive. It said “Fitz-Andrews now has to swallow his pride and hold what he described to friends and acquaintances as a “lawn sale,” with items like rattan sets, weed whackers, barbecue grills, sprinklers, plant baskets and pressure washers on offer to buyers at knockdown prices.”
I cry for you, Ken as our nation has lost a good soul. Thank you for the pleasure of your friendship. May you rest in peace my brother.
By Anand Ramlogan