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  • 2 years ago
The Opposition continues to come under fire for the project to extend the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

The Finance Minister says there's no innocent explanation for removing a bankruptcy clause from the contract with Construtora O-A-S.

While winding up the budget debate, he also said he had proof that the contract was not awarded by the P-N-M.
Transcript
00:00 Even after its opening, controversy continues to surround the extension of the Sir Solomon
00:08 Ho Choi Highway 2.14.
00:10 What did the government get in return for taking out that bankruptcy clause?
00:15 No one in the UNC has ever explained that.
00:18 Why would you do that and what consideration did you get for that?
00:22 No one has ever explained that.
00:24 The finance minister winding up the budget debate on Tuesday.
00:28 Senator Embert focused on the much talked about clause in the contract with Constitutora
00:33 OAS.
00:34 In September of 2015, the UNC government removed the clause which would allow automatic termination
00:44 in the event of bankruptcy of the contractor OAS.
00:49 And he flagged the timeline of events.
00:52 OAS, which had been bankrupt since April of 2015, so OAS had been bankrupt for months
01:02 before the general election in September 2015 and they removed the clause allowing for automatic
01:10 termination.
01:11 No one has ever explained that.
01:13 There is no innocent explanation for that.
01:17 The finance minister also sought to set the record straight about which administration
01:22 signed the contract with OAS.
01:25 That the contract was actually awarded by the PNM.
01:28 That was their defense.
01:29 It's not them, it's the PNM.
01:33 Embert referred to a motion he brought in January 2011 regarding the handling of that
01:38 highway extension contract.
01:41 He read from the Hansard.
01:43 We came out in May 2010, Jack Warner's talking in January 2011, the minister of works.
01:50 How can you award a contract that has not even been signed?
01:54 How can you award a contract for which money has not been formed up?
01:58 How can you award a contract far more executed if it has not been signed?
02:03 They have to come to an agreement, it has to go to cabinet, cabinet has to study it
02:07 where it is right now.
02:09 Anselm Gibbs, TV6 News.
02:11 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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