CEPEP CALLS FOR CRIMINAL PROBE

CCNTV6

The CEPEP Company Limited has welcomed a High Court ruling in its favour and is now calling for a full-scale criminal investigation into what it describes as a serious case of fraudulent misrepresentation that exposed the state to over a billion dollars in expenditure.

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00:00CPEP is celebrating a legal victory, but what follows may be far more consequential.

00:06A media release states that the High Court has ruled against a private contractor,

00:11Eastman Enterprise Limited, who tried to halt proceedings after failing to comply with the

00:16contract's dispute resolution process. But buried in the judgment was something far more serious,

00:23according to the release, and what the judge described as a fraudulent misrepresentation

00:28made to CPEP's board about cabinet approval for a major contract extension.

00:35The board, relying on what it believed was confirmation from then-line minister Faris Al-Rawi

00:39via then-chairman Joel Edwards, approved a three-year extension for over 300 contractors,

00:47just days before the last general election. That decision, CPEP says, exposed the state to

00:53$1.4 billion in expenditure, and they now believe it was made under false pretenses.

01:00The judge has referred the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions for investigation.

01:05CPEP says it will fully cooperate with the DPP, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the Fraud Squad.

01:11In his affidavit to the court, CPEP CEO Keith Eddy stated that Joel Edwards told the board that

01:18cabinet had approved the extensions. However, CPEP notes that Mr. Edwards later claimed that there

01:24was simply an error in the board note, a claim they say was never shared with the board or management

01:30at the time. There were also allegations that the false cabinet approval was conveyed via WhatsApp

01:36to CPEP's leadership team. CPEP says it has records of every board member voting in support of the

01:43extension, and no one raised concerns about the legitimacy of the approval. Meanwhile, at a recent

01:50PNM media conference, former line minister Faris Al-Rawi denied any wrongdoing in the matter,

01:57but CPEP claims he has yet to submit any sworn affidavit in court on the matter. CPEP says it will now

02:04seek legal advice, insisting that it is determined to uncover the truth and ensure that there are legal

02:11consequences for any deception that may have occurred. Aksha Galston, TV6 News.

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