GMC audit report…Engineer insists he had too little time to oversee construction

May 31, 2016 News

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By Jarryl Bryan
The Engineer at the center of what was described as collusion in the construction of the Guyana Marketing

Corporation’s (GMC) Guyana Shop and Head Office — highlighted in a recently released forensic audit report into the agency– has stepped forward to give his side of what transpired.
Engineer Hanniel Madramootoo, who was assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture to oversee the work of Trinidad contracting firm Constantine Engineering and Construction Services on the building, conceded that his workload would have impacted his ability to fulfill his mandate.
He stated that because of instructions given by the then Director of the Agriculture Sector Development Unit (ASDU) and the contractor’s inexperience, “It was obvious that the work would not be of the best quality.”
“When the construction got underway I was asked to overlook the project,” he said yesterday. “However given my workload at ASDU, clear instructions were given by the Director of ASDU at that time, (that I) should only be spending (time) on projects for external agencies (such as GMC, NAREI, etc.) after 16:30hrs and on weekends.”
“Nevertheless, every attempt was made to have the project completed satisfactorily, although this did not happen,” Madramootoo claimed.
“Defective work was identified and payments were withheld from the contractor, which subsequently led to him leaving the job as he was unable to remedy the defects.”
The engineer stated that the defects that he identified at the time were a leaking roof and the wrong type of wood used for the internal walls.
This, he claimed, led to a sum of $1.6M being withheld from the contactor.

According to Madramootoo, the change in ceiling material was a decision that was taken in collaboration with GMC’s management, from a technical standpoint. This is a point of contention that the auditor was unable to confirm, as nothing in his examinations or the contract indicated that such a decision was taken.
Madramootoo also denied that old zinc sheets were used on the roof, but admitted that a few of the sheets were placed badly and had to be removed and repositioned, which he said led to holes in those sheets.
“With regard to the problem of peeling paint in certain areas,” he said, “No such problem existed at the time up to the end of the defects liability period. As such I cannot be held responsible for that.”
“With regard to the flaking of concrete, the only area where this occurred that I know about is in the vicinity of the generator which was as a result of the generator exhaust being bolted to the masonry wall which was not designed for the vibration from the generator.”
Criminal proceedings
Back in 2011 the contract had been awarded, through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), to Constantine Engineering and Construction Services of Trinidad and Tobago.
It is understood that Hanniel Madramootoo, an engineer from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), was also assigned to oversee the construction of the building.
In forensic auditor, Saykar Boodhoo’s report, it was noted that throughout the building, located at Robb and Alexander Streets, substandard work was evident. For instance, the auditor stated that the wood used to construct the internal walls was poorly manufactured, while the concrete walls were chipping, with paint peeling and falling off the walls.
“Within a few months after the building was handed over to GMC, there were leaks throughout the building via the roof,” the auditor stated. “A contractor (had to be) hired by GMC to repair the roof.”
The auditor had also detailed that old lumber and old zinc sheets with euroband were in fact used to construct the roof of the building. This, the auditor said, is despite the bill of quantities for the contract stipulating greenheart lumber be used for the building’s roof, and that PVC panels be used for the ceilings.
Boodhoo, in his findings, had recommended that Hanniel Madramootoo, the engineer who reportedly served as GMC’s ‘eyes and ears’ while he carried out the work, not only be fired from the Ministry of Agriculture, but also be blacklisted from performing functions on behalf of Government. He had also recommended criminal proceedings.
“The police should be called in to investigate the fraud of using incorrect materials and fraudulent billing for the construction of the building,” the auditor had stated.
“Since payments (to Constantine Engineering) were made based on certification made by Madramootoo, he should be charged criminally and brought before the courts for his participation in conducting fraud against the Government of Guyana.”

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