An engineer from Region Eight whose company received a $28m road building contract for a project he would have had oversight of has declined to comment to Stabroek News on the matter.
When contacted by Stabroek News for comment, Latchman Singh declined to respond, stating, “I don’t have any comments, thank you.”
In the meanwhile as questions continue to buffet the government over procurement, it has sought to distance itself from this case in a context where it exercised full control of key regional appointments
On October 3rd, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo responded to concerns regarding procurement practices as stated in a recent editorial in the Stabroek News.
During his weekly press conference held at Freedom House, Jagdeo, the General Secretary of the party, emphasized that the government has issued clear instructions to public officers regarding compliance with procurement laws.
“We sought to fix the law and made it clear this will not be tolerated at the political level,” he stated. “People know now that they are responsible for compliance with the procurement laws and that they will bear the consequences should we find breaches.”
Jagdeo’s comments were prompted by the incident involving Singh, who was awarded a $28 million contract for work on the Princeville Road in Mahdia. Despite being the regional engineer for Potaro/Siparuni, Singh’s company bid for a project in the same area where he holds his position. Jagdeo highlighted this situation as a clear conflict of interest, asserting that individuals in such roles must choose between their engineering position and contracting work. “You cannot be both and working in the same community,” he added.
Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul voiced skepticism regarding the government’s commitment to addressing procurement issues. He pointed to Singh’s ties to the Ministry of Public Works and Amerindian Affairs, suggesting that the contractor’s connections to PPP/C ministers raise questions about the procurement process.
“Latchman Singh, the Regional Engineer whose company was awarded a staggering $28m contract and subsequently blocked, is no stranger to the Ministry of Public Works and Amerindian Affairs,” Mahipaul remarked. “Our intelligence is clear: whenever PPP/C Ministers grace Region 8, they are wined and dined at Lene’s Restaurant and Bar, owned by the same individual behind Lene’s Contracting Enterprise. Coincidence? I think not.”
Mahipaul also recalled Singh’s previous testimony before the Public Accounts Committee, where the engineer accused a former Regional Executive Officer of directing him to undertake illegal activities under the previous APNU+AFC administration. “But one must ask, who directed him to open a contracting company and who is instructing him to do wrong things now?
The MP urged caution against taking the government’s claims at face value, stating, “We must not be deceived by surface-level optics. The PPP/C wants us to believe they are addressing these issues, but this is just a calculated distraction. They know full well who this engineer is, and they continue to enable his actions in Region 8.”
Mahipaul later challenged Jagdeo’s claim that Singh’s contract had been blocked. In a statement Mahipaul said the contract was completed and was actually inspected by a number of ministers.
The APNU+AFC MP said that the contract was awarded in May, and by September, the work had been fully completed.
“This directly contradicts Jagdeo’s claim. If the contract had truly been blocked, how could the project have been completed on time?”, Mahipaul asked.
Adding to this, he said that ministers inspected the project during their Ministerial Outreach in Region 8. “This raises a critical question: if the project had been blocked as Jagdeo claimed, why did these ministers take time to inspect a project that was supposedly halted?”, Mahipaul asked.
Moreover, he said that key questions need to be answered by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and Minister in the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar: Was the contractor paid? If so, how much was paid and when?
He said it must be further asked which engineer measured the work to determine how much was to be paid and which engineer signed off on the work as satisfactorily completed?
“We call on the Government to provide the proof and disclose the signed documents that reveal the truth about who signed off on this project”, Mahipaul said.
