SOCU questions Patterson, Adams on Harbour Bridge feasibility contract award

Jan 24, 2021 News

Kaieteur News- The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) appears to have reopened their probe into the award of the $148 million new Demerara Harbour Bridge Feasibility Study contract, one year after it determined that there was no wrongdoing in the procurement process.

Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson.

SOCU on Friday had pulled in for questioning former Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, along with the recently resigned General Manager of the Harbour Bridge, Rawlston Adams, regarding their involvement but no details were provided as to the next step in the investigations.
It is believed that charges will soon be instituted on Patterson. Back in 2018, the then Opposition, People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), had requested that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) investigate the award of the contract due to suspicions that Patterson had broken the law by sole-sourcing the project instead of having it processed through the Procurement Board.

Then PPP/C Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, had submitted a letter to SOCU requesting the investigation along with the findings from the PPC into the deal. In her letter to the then head of SOCU, Sydney James, Teixeira said that the report was being submitted with a view to instituting criminal charges against the Minister Patterson.
The PPC in its investigation found that Patterson’s request to Cabinet for approval of the contract was not forwarded through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
According to the PPC, 12 bidders had been shortlisted for the project however, only two of the 12 companies had submitted proposals. An

Former General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Rawlston Adams.

evaluation Committee deemed one of the two detailed submissions as being inconsistent with what was required, and the other, was far in excess of the budget, even after negotiations with the bidder. This later lead to the process being reset.
The Commission had said that while the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) approved the move for the project to be retendered, it was not.
Instead, the $148 million project was awarded to a Dutch company, LievenseCSO, by the Public Infrastructure Ministry with Cabinet approval. Though the PPP/C was adamant that the bypassing of the procurement process was illegal, SOCU stated that it has sought legal advice, and that there is no evidence that a criminal offence was committed.
The PPC report had noted too that monies to be spent on the project were taken from Asphalt Plant Accounts controlled by the Harbour Bridge, a move then Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, said constituted a misuse of funds.
But even on that front, the SOCU investigations cleared the Public Infrastructure Ministry of that accusation. SOCU said there was no misuse of funds and noted too that there was no evidence of collusion between LievenseCSO and personnel from the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

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