FORMER finance minister Colm Imbert said the People’s National Movement (PNM) continued a practice introduced by his predecessor, Larry Howai, of appointing independent, non-partisan directors to the board of First Citizens to represent private-sector shareholders.

Imbert said the practice relied primarily on recommendations from private-sector bodies such as the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA).

“It is not clear whether this new board (at First Citizens Holdings Ltd) comprised only political appointees,” he said on Wednesday, following Finance Minister Dave Tan­coo’s announcement of a new board for First Citizens Holdings Ltd, headed by attorney Shankar Bidaisee.