The Guyana Power & Light Company (GPL) and bill payment service, Bill Direct Holdings Inc. are still in negotiations over sums of money that is owed to the power company, even as GPL’s management mulls over a proposal that could see them being compensated within a few weeks.
GPL terminated its agreement with Bill Direct on April 30, after GPL discovered that the billing company had not transferred all the money from customers. Last week, the two parties met and a Bill Direct had proposed a settlement to GPL.
GPL’s Chief Executive Officer (GPL) Bharrat Dindyal told Stabroek News on Monday that the two parties are still trying to reconcile how much money is owed to the power company. According to him, the money would include some of the payments between January and April.
He said that there is still no evidence to suggest fraud and said that the two parties are trying to “remedy breaches in contract.” One source has told this newspaper that the amount involved could be in excess of US$1M.
Speaking about the proposal made by Bill Direct, Dindyal said that GPL has some concern with one aspect of it and has asked the billing to reconsider this. He said though that Bill Direct has pledged to pay back whatever money is owed within a matter of weeks. According to him, “the company has acknowledged debt to us and there is a proposal to liquidate within a few weeks.”
Last week when Stabroek News contacted Anil Nandlall, one of the lawyers for Bill Direct, he confirmed that there was a proposal on the table and said he hoped GPL would accept it. His hope was that the issue could be settled this week.
Bill Direct Holdings Inc, this newspaper was told, has been in operation locally since 2008. The company’s CEO is Barbadian Dwayne Roach. Last year, the service and the power company had had a financial issue which was subsequently settled.
