- Missing documents: The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries has revealed it cannot locate the original executed agreements for the landmark Dragon Gas deal with Venezuela.
- No English copies: Enquiries with staff involved in the December 2023 signing failed to produce any English translations or original Spanish documents.
- Sole record: The only document found in the Ministry’s records is a copy of the Spanish agreement attached to a January 2024 Cabinet Note.
The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries has admitted it cannot locate the original executed agreements for the Dragon Gas project signed between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.
In a media release on Tuesday, the Ministry clarified the status of its records concerning the “Authorisation Agreement for the Fiscal Measurement of the Production of the Dragon Field,” following recent public statements about the deal’s execution in both English and Spanish.
According to the Ministry, no original executed agreements relating to the Dragon Field have been located within its records to date. Furthermore, no English-translated copies of any agreements exist in the Ministry’s files.
The agreement was executed in December 2023. However, the Ministry stated that enquiries with staff members actively involved in the project at the time failed to find original executed agreements in either language. Staff were also unable to locate copies of finalised, executed versions in English.
“A further examination of the Ministry’s records identified a Cabinet Note dated January 2024, with a copy of the executed Fiscal Measurement Agreement in Spanish appended,” the release stated.
While this attachment provides a record of the signed Spanish agreement, the Ministry noted it “does not resolve the absence of the original executed agreement or establish that an English-language version was also executed.”
The clarification was issued based on the documentation currently available in the Ministry’s records and produced in response to staff enquiries.
The Ministry said that maintaining a complete and accurate documentary record is essential for administering agreements of national importance.
“The Ministry remains committed to ensuring that the Dragon project is supported by verified documentation and to providing accurate information to the public,” the statement noted.
