JSC continues highway probe

THE Parliament's Land and Physical Infrastructure Joint Select Committee (JSC) will continue its public inquiry into the 2010-2023 Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project when it sits at the Red House, Port of Spain on April 24 from 10 am.

The committee is chaired by Independent Senator Deoroop Teemal.

The committee's opposition representatives, Princes Town MP Barry Padarath and Opposition Senator Anil Roberts, are not attending meetings of the committee on this matter based on a decision taken by the UNC last November.

The other members of the JSC are government MPs Kennedy Richards, Symon de Nobriga and Lisa Morris-Julian and senators Muhammad Yunus Ibrahim and Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal.

In a statement in the House of Representatives on November 1. He said the public needed answers about what happened with that project under the UNC-led People's Partnership (PP) from May 24, 2010-September 7, 2015.

"The public, through its representatives in this House, must seek and obtain answers from all persons involved in or associated with this scandal.

"This is even more necessary since, in recent times, attempts have been made to give opportunity to person/s to put misinformation on the parliamentary record," Rowley said.

He then listed some burning questions:

"By what process, advice and documentation was it determined that the billion-dollar contract must be amended to grant an $852 million waiver to (Construtora) OAS (the Brazilian company that was the project's contractor)?

"Who authorised the amendment of the contract?

"What was the specific purpose and benefit to be had, and by whom?

"Who actually carried out the instructions?

"What was the role of the Ministry of Works and Transport, the board of Nidco (National Infrastructure Development Company), the consultant and the management in effecting the amendment and its consequent waiver?"

While the project was a concept of the earlier Patrick Manning administration, Rowley said the facts showed it did not begin under the PNM.

"The Point Fortin highway exercise was initiated through the process of invitation of tenders in early 2010. Although tenders were received in April 2010, the contract was not awarded by the PNM prior to the May 24 general election since the bids received were significantly higher than the engineer’s estimate of $3.6 billion."

A proper review and revision were called for but did not happen before the election.

On March 4, 2011, the PP awarded a design-build contract to OAS for $5.2 billion.

Rowley said: "This is $1.6 billion more than the original engineer’s estimate."

At its first meeting on the project on March 20, JSC members were told the project had a colourful saga.

This conversation between committee members, National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) and Works and Transport Ministry officials on that day dealt with decisions taken about the project the day after the PP assumed office in May 2010, questions over the suitability of the project contractor chosen by the PP – Brazilian firm OAS Construtora – and expenditure of money related to the project during the PP's tenure.

Some of those officials may be present for the JSC meeting on April 24.

The JSC will add another layer of scrutiny to the project.

In 2019, a commission of enquiry (CoE) was appointed to look into land acquisition for the project after there were reported over-valuations and more than half a billion dollars had been spent.

During a Standing Finance Committee meeting of the House on October 14, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Stuart Young said $11 million has been spent so far on this CoE.