Take great care when engaging the services of a contractor

Jan 07, 2020 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I would like to bring to your attention, a situation where my trust and confidence, have been repaid by avarice and greed.
In 2014, I engaged the services of a East Bank Demerara contractor (name given) to build my home in New Amsterdam. He came highly recommended by relatives and friends. A designated Power of Attorney (POA) was left in charge of disbursing my funds in my stead. She disbursed funds according to the progress of the work.
As it turns out, in 2016 my POA was leaving for the USA. Not wanting the work to stop or slow down, I directed her to give him the necessary funds to finish the job. That amount was GY$8,000,000. Two months after the POA left, I came home to New Amsterdam where I spent ten days. At that time, work on the house was proceeding well. As soon as I left, work stopped, and the contractor disappeared.
After numerous unanswered calls and text messages, I decided to take legal action against him to either recover those funds or to compel him to finish the outstanding work. After dodging the marshals a few times, they finally caught up with him and served him a summons to appear in court. He attended the New Amsterdam Supreme Court once and was never seen again. The presiding judge subsequently issued an arrest warrant on him. The warrant was never fulfilled because, it is rumored, he is now in the USA.
I do not make these disclosures lightly. All of my assertions are supported by documentation. I am bringing this situation to light with the hope that other people, who place their hopes and dreams in the hands of contractors, may take greater care in vetting the right people for the job.
Calvin Girard

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