Chester Sambrano
The National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NIDCO) remains tight-lipped on whether this country recently lost an arbitration case against construction company Brazilian conglomerate Grupo OAS over the highway from San Fernando to the Point Fortin project.
NIDCO is the state company in charge of executing the project.
During the Debate on the motion to adopt the report of the standing finance committee in the Lower House of Parliament on Monday, at least two opposition MPs, Dr Roodal Moonilal and Rudranath Indarsingh raised claims that this country now has to pay OAS $1 billion in damages.
However, speaking with Guardian Media, Chairman of NIDCO Herbert George opted not to respond to the claims.
"Not just yet sir, not just yet, as soon as we get the information we will make it known to the public but right now I cannot enlighten you on that."
Pressed on whether he received the court ruling George repeated his statements that he cannot enlighten on the matter right now.
"When we can, we will certainly do so," he added.
Asked how soon he will be able to speak about it, the NIDCO chairman said hopefully in the "next two weeks or so."
Guardian Media sought to find out if there was a ruling or whether there is an appeal being considered.
To this George remarked, "We cannot speak about it yet sir....wait for the two weeks."
When the matter was raised by Dr Moonilal he said a recent judgement from a UK court ruled in favour of OAS.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert did not respond to the claims by the opposition members when he wound up the debate on Monday night.
The matter arose after the company claimed that the contract to construct the highway from Point Fortin to San Fernando was wrongfully terminated.
In May 2016, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed that the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway project had been stopped.
At that time Rowley explained that the Government was currently seeking to extricate the State from a very "difficult, scandalous arrangement" surrounding the highway project.
Then-attorney general Faris Al-Rawi further explained that consideration to possibly terminate the existing contract will be influenced by the fact that the existing contractor, Brazilian conglomerate Grupo OAS, is facing bankruptcy and is before the courts facing several serious criminal allegations.