(Trinidad Express) The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) is moving to pursue legal claims against China Jiangzu, the contractor involved in the construction of two $26 million towers at Las Alturas, which suffered engineering failure and had to be demolished.
So said PNM Senator Faris Al-Rawi yesterday, adding that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was “well aware” of this. The Prime Minister has announced that Government would establish a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the failed project. Speaking at a news conference at the office of the Opposition Leader in Port of Spain, Al-Rawi noted that this Government has since hired the same contractor, China Jiangzu, to build the $438 million UWI South campus project.
Al-Rawi came to the news conference armed with several boxes of documents and files. He said he had the “particulars in minutiae detail of what the HDC board considered”. He gave a detailed history and account of the project. And he threatened to sue Persad-Bissessar if she dares talk about the issue outside the privileged walls of Parliament. “Because I guarantee you that we would take every black cent that she would pay in cost or damages as a result of defamation of character and of her wickedness in not giving the full particulars in relation to this project. “Her wickedness is going to be demonstrated by the black and white paperwork that is in my possession and that she is aware that the HDC ought to have in its possession as well. “There is more to come and we are absolutely secure and confident in our ability to deal with this charade and wickedness and naked political attempt to sully the name of persons in public life,” Al-Rawi said.
He said nothing in the packages and the board minutes which he had and which HDC should also have, spoke to any concerns with respect to the geo-technical matters involving the Las Alturas project during the time of his tenure as a director and Keith Rowley’s tenure as a minister. Rowley left the housing minister in November 5, 2007 (when the general election was held) and Al-Rawi’s appointment as a director on the HDC board was revoked on March 13, 2009. “At no time during my tenure, and in those board minutes, has any information come forward that demonstrated that there was a cause for concern,” he said. “At no point in time do the minutes of the HDC board meetings demonstrate any form of concern such that when a minister of government who receives board minutes, that that minister would have an alarm bell struck and make further enquiry. The board minutes speak for themselves,” he said. Al-Rawi said the first mention of geo-technical problems came in October/November 2009. “The geo-technical reports said that the first time that one would have been aware of slippage, concerns or problems on the site, was late October/November 2009.
They state further that it was impossible for this fault to have been located,” he said. Al-Rawi said the project was a design and construct one and the contractor, China Jiangzu, engaged experts to do the geo-technical survey, the design and the project management. He said the project was first under UDeCOTT, which built two buildings in Las Alturas. On November 17, 2007, the Cabinet handed over the project to HDC. The two towers in question were built during this phase. “The Prime Minister would be aware, as we are, that there are legal proceedings being contemplated against China Jiangzu International and that there are legal proceedings available potentially against the geo-technical expert, the project manager and the other consultants involved,” he said. He said the Prime Minister, “as a senior counsel” would also know that the contractor and consultants could rely on their constitutional right against self-incrimination before any Commission of Enquiry.
