Auditor General finds difficulty following trail of public money pumped in Durban Park Project

Oct 01, 2017 News

– Opposition calls for PPC investigation

Auditor General, Deodat Sharma is facing some stumbling blocks in his efforts to follow the trail of public monies spent on the Durban Park Project.
Sharma told Kaieteur News that that he is trying to get documents to support the operation and spending of Homestretch Development Inc. He said that he tried to get information from Ministry of Public Infrastructure but that Ministry is saying that it does not have the needed documentation.
Sharma said that this is despite him being initially told that the company has handed everything over to that Ministry.
The Auditor General said that he is now forced to contact the company. However, this was a special purpose company that has since been dissolved.
Letter to the PPC
The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which forms the Parliamentary Opposition has written the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) requesting that it investigate procurement for the project.
The letter was penned in the name of Member of Parliament (MP), Juan Edghill.
Edghill noted that the project was announced to be a privately financed undertaking.
He said, “The development of the D’Urban Park Project started in September 2015 in preparation for the hosting of the 50th Independence Anniversary Jubilee Celebrations. The National Assembly was informed that this project would be funded by private individuals through an unnamed private organization, and, that this project would be no drain on the public purse.
There were no specified budgetary provisions in the 2015 and 2016 Annual Budgets for the Jubilee Durban Park Development Project.”
Edghill said that from September 2015 to January 22, 2016, there was no account of what monies were collected, who collected these and who authorised the collection, nor how these were spent. He noted that government had promised to account for the donations received, but this was not done.
Further, Edghill said that on April 21, last year, President David Granger mandated the Minister of Public Infrastructure to immediately assume full responsibility for the D’Urban Park Development Project.
Subsequently, last November, public monies – a total of $406.7M – were sought from the Contingency Fund and were approved by the majority in the National Assembly to pay contractors and suppliers of goods and services for work done at the project.
Edghill said that in December 2016, an additional $500M from the Consolidated Fund was sought by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and approved by the majority. We were told in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly that the sums approved would be given to the Homestretch Development Inc. (HDI), a special purpose company, to honour its financial obligations to contractors and suppliers. “This is the first time that the name of this company was made public.
The company was registered on January 22, 2016 and its number is 8247. The registered address is Lot 18 Lamaha Street.”
Edghill also noted that from its inception to April 21, 2016, the private company, HDI, had control of financing and managing the project. He said that from April 22, 2016 to June 2017, it is estimated that public monies amounting to $1.5 Billion have been spent on the project.
Edghill listed eight areas of the project which he wants to PPC to examine. These include the procurement process for contracts awarded to facilitate works on this project, prior to April 21, 2016 and up to June 30, 2017.
He also wants to find out if a private company without any procurement process engage contractors and then request and receive public monies for funding these contracts?
Further, Edghill wants to know the budget and final cost of the project as well as what payments were made to individuals, contractors and companies as it relates to this project as well as what is owed.

Latest News

Auditor General finds difficulty following trail of public money pumped in Durban Park Project

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport endorses Mashramani Street...

Guyanese boxers shine in IBA World Rankings ahead...

Motie returns for Day/Night affair, as fired-up...

Daniel Singh pockets East Bank Pool crown

Khalil, Pollard and Barker reign supreme as BCQS...

Cricket West Indies passes historic governance...

Features/Columnists

Guyana’s silence represents a shocking neglect of its national interest

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Corruption – at epidemic proportion

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Auditor General finds difficulty following trail of public money pumped in Durban Park Project

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| February, 10th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]