Resh­ma Ra­goonath

The Gov­ern­ment has launched an in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to the award of a $299.8 mil­lion Ude­cott con­tract for the con­struc­tion of six po­lice sta­tions just four days be­fore the May 24 gen­er­al elec­tion. The firm hired to con­struct the sta­tions–Bouygues–is now seek­ing $8.6 mil­lion in de­lay fees. Prime Min­is­ter Kam­la Per­sad-Bisses­sar made the an­nounce­ment Fri­day night as she ad­dressed sup­port­ers at the Peo­ple's Part­ner­ship Lo­cal Gov­ern­ment man­i­festo launch, Har­ris Prom­e­nade, San Fer­nan­do. Per­sad-Bisses­sar said the con­tract was award­ed by Ude­cott four days be­fore the gen­er­al elec­tion for the con­struc­tion of po­lice sta­tions in Ari­ma, Cu­mu­to, Guapo, Moru­ga, Mal­oney and Pi­ar­co. The con­tract, she said, was brought to her at­ten­tion when the Sweet Bri­ar Street, Mar­aval-based firm sought pay­ment of $8.6 mil­lion in run-wait im­pact de­lay costs.

The costs, she ex­plained, were in­curred due to the de­lay in con­struc­tion. "They were giv­en the con­tract, then elec­tions were called and they had to wait and the cost of that run-wait im­pact is $24,150.00 per day per sta­tion and not one has start­ed. You are pay­ing as tax­pay­ers $144,900 per day for the six sta­tions," she said. Per­sad-Bisses­sar said At­tor­ney Gen­er­al Anand Ram­lo­gan had been in­struct­ed to com­mence an in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to the con­tract and re­port to Cab­i­net on the mat­ter. "These awards were done on the eve of an elec­tion, at a time when there was no sit­ting board of di­rec­tors," she said. Per­sad-Bisses­sar ques­tioned: "How could you be do­ing these things and there was no board? Who au­tho­rised it? How was it au­tho­rised? Why was it au­tho­rised? Was there a kick­back and how much was that kick­back."

The Prime Min­is­ter dis­missed calls for the PP to stop look­ing in the past. "Some­body has to go to jail. They don't want us to talk about it (cor­rup­tion) be­cause some­body know they go­ing to jail. Noth­ing will stop the law. We will obey the rule of law, we are guid­ed by the rule of law," she said.

PM warns PP of cor­rup­tion

Per­sad-Bisses­sar al­so sound­ed a warn­ing to PP min­is­ters and state of­fi­cials. "None will be sacro­sanct, no one will be above the law–and that is in­side and out­side the Peo­ple's Part­ner­ship. I have said this to every min­is­ter. We must nev­er, ever fall in­to the trap, the cor­rup­tion, the de­ceit of the PNM...and if I find one min­is­ter, one state board mem­ber in­volved in any graft, any de­ceit, any cor­rup­tion they will be gone," she de­clared. The Prime Min­is­ter al­so dis­missed de­trac­tors of Cana­di­an Com­mis­sion­er of Po­lice can­di­date Dwayne Gibbs. "Does it mat­ter where the CoP comes from once he does his job? He is un­der con­tract, if he does not work he's gone," she said.