A report in the Sunday Newsday newspaper in Trinidad states that the Managing Director of the controversial Chinese construction company SCG International (Trinidad and Tobago) cut deals for private contracts while his company was working on billion-dollar UDeCOTT projects.The story by reporters Andre Bagoo states that companies connected with Michael Zhang have been linked to an estimated $2 billion in work from UDeCOTT.
Shanghai Construction was the handpicked contractor for the $244 million Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic Centre as the $900 million National Academies for the Performing Arts in north and south Trinidad.
UDeCOTT also awarded the company the contract for the $460 million Ministry of Education Tower project and a $150 million contract for the upgrade of the South Terminal of the Piarco International Airport project.
It was also building the controversial church in Arima linked to former Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his spirtual adviser, Rev. Juliana Pena.
Eight projects handled by Shanghai construction are now under investigation.
Read the story: Shanghai Construction under police probe on UDeCOTT contracts
The report states that Sunway, which is under police investigation for alleged family ties to former UDeCOTT chief Calder Hart, awarded a lucrative private sub-contract on the Legal Affairs project to Times Construction Company Limited, which is owned by Zhang.
It states further that Zhang is tied to companies that have received more than $2 billion in UDeCOTT projects.
The paper says it gathered the data from confidential State documents, interviews, Freedom of Information Act applications lodged by the Joint Consultative Council (JCC), companies searches and other public documents.
The paper states that it checked the Companies registry and discovered that Zhang was the incorporator of Times Construction Company Limited, which was incorporated on November 25, 2004.
It adds, "An annual return dated November 27, 2009, lists Zhang as a director and shareholder of the company, alongside Zhuo Feng Ou. Zhang is listed as a “civil engineer” resident at Benbow Drive, Westmoorings."
The paper says a UDeCOTT official said on Friday that the company was unaware of the details of the Sunway contract to Zhang’s company, Times Construction Limited.
Newsday sayd Zhang did not respond to queries about his company. However, it notes that in an interview with Sunday Newsday in June 2008 Zhang said the issue of his company was a private matter and suggested that there was no conflict of interest resulting from his roles in both companies.
Read the full report in NEWSDAY
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