Novo: Govt attack baseless

Novo Technologies, the firm at the heart of a Cabinet-sanctioned investigation into the process and execution of a contract awarded by the Airports Authority for passport scanning kiosks, has hit back at the Government, denying all claims of impropriety.

“This ill-founded, misguided and baseless attack has cast a shadow on Novo’s otherwise unblemished record gained from years of innovation in the technology sphere. In our view the minister’s comments and insinuations were clearly uninformed and made without a full appreciation of all the facts surrounding the award of this contract,” the company said in a statement yesterday.

On Thursday, during the post-Cabinet media briefing, Communications Minister Stuart Young announced that the Government had appointed retired Justice Rolston Nelson to investigate just how Novo won the contract, which was awarded in December 2017, and amended in March 2018. Young alleged the contract was awarded without following the proper tendering process and the amended terms meant the AATT had to pay Novo a minimum of US$510,000 per month. If the contract is terminated before its seven-year duration, the AATT would have to pay the full amount to Novo, approximately US$43 million (TT$300 million). Cabinet had no idea about the contract, nor the terms attached to it. It was only discovered when the AATT, not being able to pay its fees to Novo, asked its line ministry, Works and Transport for money. Works and Transport forwarded the request to the Ministry of Finance who queried the request.

Former AATT chairman, Nigel Ferguson, under whose tenure the contract was awarded, told Sunday Newsday there was nothing more for him to say. “I hope that after the investigator has investigated and his findings are made public then we can have discussions,” he said.

Novo, however, contended that throughout the negotiation and implementation of the project, it “acted with integrity, transparency and accountability.”

“(Novo) categorically refutes the allegations by (Young) the Minister of National Security, Stuart Young ... that there are ‘red flags’ with respect (to the contract),” it said.

The company has been in existence for over ten years, and operates through the region.

It specialises in e-payments processing, identity management and border control solutions. Aside from the AATT, the company, according to its website, has built digital platforms WASA, the TT food card programme, and the Central Bank.

The company said the AATT “engaged” them in 2017 for a border control solution.

This system included passenger kiosks, departure e-gates and boarding gates for both the Piarco International Airport and ANR Robinson International Airport.

But even though the system was supposed to help with processing passengers arriving at ports of entry, Young noted the software was not actually linked to the Immigration Division’s system, so all the machines really did was enable the people who used them to go through the shorter line in immigration, but still had to check in with an immigration officer.

The kiosks were officially unveiled in July, last year. The Works and Transport Ministry is seeking legal advice on whether or not it can terminate the contract, Young said in the post-Cabinet briefing.

Novo said it found the Government’s timing “curious.”

“We find it curious that at this stage, the Government having launched this project, is now attempting to impeach the process after we have fully performed all of our contractual obligations to date at a significant cost to the company. Novo will not be intimidated by these oppressive actions and will defend its contractual rights and reputation vigorously.”

The company said because of confidentiality it could not reveal more about the contract but will continue to service it under the terms. It has also referred the matter to its attorney, former AG Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj.