00:00 Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says there is an attempt to push
00:03 misinformation on the Parliament's records as he mentions a paper laid in
00:08 the lower house called the saga of the Sir Solomon Hojo extension 2.14
00:13 project from 2010 to 2023 and accounts and execution of the largest
00:19 infrastructure development project implemented in Trinidad and Tobago. This
00:24 document has been referred to a joint select committee on land and physical
00:29 infrastructure. While the Prime Minister has given the House of Representatives
00:33 the government's account of what transpired. According to Dr. Rowley
00:38 although the plan for the San Fernando 2.14 highway was formulated under
00:42 Patrick Manning led PNM administration the bids that came in as the general
00:47 election of 2010 was approaching were way too high when compared to the 3.6
00:52 billion dollars estimated by the engineer and a review that was supposed
00:57 to take place did not occur because of a change in the reins of power. Dr. Rowley
01:02 says the Kamloopsad-Bissessa led People's Partnership administration
01:06 proceeded to contract Brazilian contractor OAS through NIDCO for the job
01:11 at a cost of 5.2 billion dollars 1.6 billion dollars more than the engineers
01:17 estimate. This contract he says commenced with a meeting between a minister of
01:22 cabinet and OAS officials in Johannesburg South Africa amid the FIFA
01:27 World Cup which also took place in that country. No member of the UNC government
01:32 has ever acknowledged that this meeting took place nor has any one of them ever
01:39 attempted to explain what was the purpose and outcome of this transatlantic
01:45 secret meeting on the eve of an award of this multi-billion dollar contract which
01:51 was hurriedly wrapped up here in Trinidad and Tobago after the World Cup.
01:55 Dr. Rowley says FIDEC yellow book terms and conditions to guide such contracts
02:00 are standard and used internationally and should only be amended if it is
02:05 vital to do so. As such the Prime Minister outlines that FIDEC should
02:09 have applied to the OAS contract but it was amended by the UNC to allow for a
02:15 20% advance payment to OAS instead of 10% amounting to some 856 million dollars
02:22 and a sum of 236 million which was supposed to be deducted from the advance
02:28 was never subtracted. So even before the construction began, Madam Speaker, before the ground was scratched, the former government provided OAS with over 1 billion dollars of tax pay off funds.
02:45 The UNC government chose to pay OAS and others via cash transfers from the Ministry of Finance.
02:54 According to the Prime Minister, by March 2015 after OAS was paid over four
02:59 billion dollars with about 49% of the works completed and defaulted on paying
03:05 workers, it eventually filed for bankruptcy in Brazil which could have
03:09 allowed a contract with the PP governments to be terminated in order to
03:14 protect the public purse. But on the eve of the 2015 general election he says
03:19 another decision was taken against advice from NIDCO where the People's
03:23 Partnership signed an agreement to keep OAS as the preferred contractor for the
03:28 highway waiving any claim of liability against OAS, positioning the state to
03:33 possibly lose 900 million dollars in bonds in the event of the contractors
03:38 bankruptcy. In addition he states sections of the unfinished highway were
03:43 removed from OAS's responsibility with the intention of paying other
03:47 contractors an additional two billion dollars to complete the job.
03:53 Not one of them has ever attempted to provide a plausible explanation as to why they were so
03:58 generous and protective of a disgraced Brazilian contractor. Dr. Raleigh says it
04:04 was his government through NIDCO that terminated OAS and did a drawdown on the
04:09 advance payment and securities to the tune of just over 139 million US dollars
04:15 and after a lot of litigation in foreign courts recouped 970 million dollars.
04:22 The Prime Minister says this money was used in the completion of the 0.14 highway.
04:26 In light of the pending JSC, Dr. Raleigh is calling for the UNC to account to the
04:31 public on the following questions. What was the process and documentation used
04:36 to amend the FIDIC laws for a higher advance payment to OAS and who authorized it?
04:42 What was the purpose and benefit to be gained and who did it favor?
04:48 Who actually carried out these instructions? Five, what was the role of the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Board of NIDCO,
04:55 the consultant and the management in effecting the amendment and its
04:59 consequent waiver? Oropuch East Dr. Rudal Munilal was allowed to pose a
05:04 question after the Prime Minister's statement.
05:07 Are you aware that a 15 member committee comprising PNM government officials met on May 20th 2010,
05:14 four days before general election and recommended that the contract be
05:19 awarded to OAS which had the lowest bid of 5.2 billion and in addition the very
05:25 NIDCO board appointed by the then PNM government hosted NIDCO on the 25th of
05:31 May 2010, hours after general election to indicate that they were the preferred
05:36 bidder of the People's National Movement government.
05:41 That was one question.
05:43 Thou doth protest too much. Tell that to the committee of Parliament.
05:49 Alessia Boucher, TV6 News.
05:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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