The EMBD is the state company responsible for lands that were owned by Caroni (1975) Limited. It was set up by the Manning PNM administration after the government closed the sugar operations of the company.
The chairman of the Audit Sub Committee of the EMBDC board told the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) about the missing documents when he appeared before the committee Tuesday at the Red House.
Anthony Gopaul said it seems that the documents just do not exist.
Gopaul suggested that the previous board may have handed out contracts without proper documentation.
Gopaul suggested that the previous board may have handed out contracts without proper documentation.
"The documentation simply does not exist. I have gone through the whole of the EMBDC and cannot find documentation for contracts awarded in 2008," Gopaul told the committee.
He said as a result the company was unable to pay contractors who are now claiming payment for work done for EMBDC.
He said all he could find is “one liners” concerning contracts. He added that he cannot guarantee that there were any tendering for the contracts since there are no documents to show that there were tenders.
Committee member Rudranath Indarsingh remarked: “We are looking at hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money. It seems there was a free-for-all existing in EMBDC in 2008.”
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