Acting General manager of the state-run Grenada Electricity Company (GRENLEC) Clive Hosten has refused to entertain questions from THE NEW TODAY on allegations that the state-owned utility was using what amounted to blackmail to force a senior employee whose contract is not being renewed into signing an Indemnity Letter not to take legal action against the utility in order to be guaranteed of getting her financial package.

Hosten was contacted early Thursday morning following a report circulating in the country about the issue involving a Jamaican national who has held the position of Human Resource Manager with Grenlec for over a decade.

There are credible reports that sometime in September the employee was informed that her contract would be terminated and her package paid to her.

The employee had been working with Grenlec since October 2021 without a new contract being given to her to sign.

According to a well-placed source, just after 8.00 p.m on Monday night, she received via email an Indemnification letter with a request to sign it by 3.00 p.m on October 31, which was her last day of employment with Grenlec.

The employee was not on the job for several days as she had leave due to her pending the end of her period of service with the company.

The source said the employee had communicated with Hosten that she would come to Grenlec on Tuesday to finalise the purchase of the vehicle that she had been using for the past 11 years since she had made a request to purchase it and wanted to know how much she had to pay the company for it.

THE NEW TODAY understands that it was after this exchange she received the email with the Indemnification letter.

The female employee reportedly visited Grenlec on Tuesday to finalise the vehicle arrangement and was told that the company will not sell it to her until she signed the document.

Nothing else was part of the indemnification letter until Monday night because that indemnification letter was never discussed with her prior to sending it to her. “The vehicle was never part – the vehicle was always a separate matter,” the source told THE NEW TODAY.

When contacted for comment on the issue, the GRENLEC boss said that he was not in a position to respond to “an external party at this time” on the subject matter.

Following are excerpts of the exchange between Hosten and THE NEW TODAY on the issue.

NT: Mr. Hosten, did you write such a letter?

Hosten: I am in no position to comment on that.

NT: Did the Board authorise you to do that – write the letter?

Hosten: I am in no position to comment on that. This is a Grenlec internal issue.

When told that it might be a Grenlec internal issue but that the entity was a public company and it touches on an alleged attempt to blackmail an employee to give up their constitutional right and that the public have a right to know that this might be a questionable practice, Hosten said: How do you know that is the facts?

NT: Well, you are in a position to say what the facts are Sir and that is why we are coming to you. I’m doing the proper thing by coming to you and telling you this is what I have heard.

Hosten: “I’m telling you that I am not in a position to comment. Grenlec has its internal issues.

NT: Ok, I am going to quote you saying exactly that. I am going to put all the questions that I ask you also and what are your responses.

Hosten: Why would you do that because this is a Grenlec internal issue?

NT: Mr. Hosten, let me tell you something – the public has a right to know. Mr. Hosten, this is a public company and I am a journalist and I have a right to ask the manager of a state company any question about the operations of the state company. This is not a private company sir and don’t tell me that I don’t have the right to ask a question. I am telling you up front that you are out of order, you are out of place. And never ever if I ask you a question, throw that back at me because you are infringing on my right as a Journalist to ask a question if information is out in the public domain sir, I have a right to ask a question and let’s get that straight.

You refused to answer the question as to whether you acted on your own or you had instructions from the board to write that letter. You refuse to answer that and I will say that also. I am doing what am doing in the public interest – I’m not batting for any side.

Hosten: I will get back to you.

NT: Ok, get back to me anytime. I am free, I am open.

About half-an-hour later, Hosten did call back with a request to see the article that the paper intended to publish on the issue despite the fact that he did not co-operate and did not volunteer any information on the issue.

NT: I will definitely send you the article as I have nothing to hide. I haven’t done the article yet but I suspect that your Chairman sent you back.

Hosten: Well, I only wanted to see the content.

Speculation is rife that the decision to include the sale of the vehicle as part of the Indemnification letter was not taken at the level of the Board of Directors of the utility company.