FORMER senator, government minister and CL Financial executive Carlos John says at this time, the narrative around Lawrence Duprey should not be the “short period of financial turbulence” of CL Financial, but instead, all the good things he did for the country and the region.

Duprey, former executive chairman of CL Financial, died on August 24 at 89. Sources told Newsday he had health challenges due to age but “died peacefully” at a medical facility in St James.

“I would like to focus on the jobs he created, his relationship with the staff and the opportunities he created for nationals who did not even work with him. He gave educational scholarships and funded a lot of projects that involved the underprivileged,” said John. “I want to shift the focus at this time, and probably for all time, from what happened to Clico in 2009. That’s a different debate for a different occasion.”

[caption id="attachment_1105398" align="alignnone" width="338"] Carlos John. -[/caption]

John said Duprey did not expect people to forget the collapse and subsequent government bailout of the group of companies and he did not expect them to, but it did not change his character.

“He was a wonderful human being – generous to a fault, a man who looked out for the man in the street. A lot of people had access to him and he, in turn, assisted them with a lot of their needs. I always refer to him as an outstanding philanthropist.”

He said they worked together closely and Duprey was considered a member of his family. He said Duprey’s death was a loss to those who knew him.

He added that, what happened “at the end” was insignificant compared to the previous decades, when CL Financial was an insurance and financial giant in the region, especially since that end resulted in “a new grand finale in which the empire is now in a good liquid financial position.”

Mickela Panday: Focus on the good

Mickela Panday, political leader of the Patriotic Front, said she was not giving any interviews on Duprey, as she had not yet spoken to his family to convey her condolences.

The Pandays seemed to have been close to Duprey, as the businessman gave Mickela’s father, former prime minister the late Basdeo Panday, the gift of an apartment in central London. Also, her mother, Oma Panday, is said to have asked Duprey for a grant for the education expenses of two of their daughters studying in London. Duprey is said to have given the family a cheque for the equivalent of TT$1.3 million.

This became a source of controversy because it did not appear in Panday's returns to the Integrity Commission. He said he had not known about it, as Oma handled the family finances. Panday was tried and convicted over the gift, but his conviction was later quashed.

Mickela agreed with John, saying people should look at all his achievements and all he did for TT.

“What is probably more important is, when people die, like when my father died, to focus on the great contributions they made to society when there are so many people in power right now who are able to