IN AN effort to "pursue vigorously any wrongdoing" in State agencies, a five-member team of forensic auditors has been mandated to investigate several of them simultaneously, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan announced yesterday.

British Queen's Counsel Alan Newman will chair the team of auditors, Ramlogan said yesterday.

The team of auditors include two British nationals, financial expert Martin Hall and attorney Akbar Ali; along with local attorneys Mark Seepersad and Gerald Ramdeen.

"We intend to pursue vigorously any wrongdoing and to deliver to the people of this country the justice that they seek for what took place under the previous administration," Ramlogan said.

The auditors have been commissioned by the Attorney General to investigate the operations of several State agencies, including the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Petrotrin, The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT), the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), the Evolving Tecknologies and Enterprise Development Co Ltd (eTecK) and the Scarborough Hospital.

There will also be an audit into the water taxi, Su, "which cost more to repair than to purchase," Ramlogan said.

The auditors are expected to present a report on their findings in the next three months, Ramlogan said.

Ramlogan is now issuing a call for all whistle-blowers who want to help in the blanket audit.

"The preliminary analysis that has been conducted is one that leads us in the direction of wanting to delve further into these matters. We cannot do it alone and for that reason, we, therefore, require the assistance of all those citizens, employees and officers, all those third-party contractors and persons with knowledge of the wrongdoing to come forward," Ramlogan said.

Ramlogan said the audits would not be a witch-hunt.

"This is not a fishing expedition. This is a matter in which we have already have conducted audits in several cases, and we know what we are about. So the conceptual framework for the legal and forensic audits is a matter that the foundation has already been laid for. So what we are looking at now is gathering real evidence and the assistance of those members of the public who can point us in the right direction to let us know what are the pressure points in the system," he said.

Ramlogan said the need for forensic audits stemmed from numerous claims of corruption received by Government officials since assuming office after the May 24 general election.

"We were literally bombarded by complaints by those who were within the system and were unhappy with what was taking place but could not say or voice their objection for fear of victimisation," Ramlogan said.

A final price tag has not been placed on the audit as yet, Ramlogan said.

"No price is too heavy for this country to pay to unravel the corruption and mismanagement that took place under the PNM (People's National Movement) to ensure it never happens again. And to ensure the public's sense of outrage as it appeals to justice is one that is satisfied, provided there is a case to answer," Ramlogan said.