in his ministerial role, constantine promoted development of trinidad's road, rail, water and electricity infrastructure. however, in late 1958 he was accused of corruption, over a ship leasing deal. his angry response to the charge, in the legislative council, created a perception of arrogance among his colleagues, and suggested that he had not sufficiently adapted to parliamentary politics. according to mason, the speech was a miscalculation which made the public, perhaps already sceptical of his commitment to trinidad after so many years away, question his fitness for a ministerial role, a view increasingly held by commentators.