Concern over "missing" bitumen absurd says CEO of Junior Sammy group of companies

A major contracting firm has dismissed reports of corrupt practices in the sale of bitumen from state-owned Lake Asphalt Limited calling it "a smokescreen".

Read the story: Warner stumbles on corrupt practices at Lake Asphalt

In an official statement Chief executive office (CEO) of Junior Sammy Group of Companies Dave Aqui dismissed the matter as absurd and labelled it "sensationalism.”

Aqui denied Lake Asphalt's claims that local contractors owed the company more than $24 million and that millions of gallons of bitumen sold to contractors for government projects cannot be accounted for.

He said Lake Asphalt cannot justify the concern raised by Works and Infrastructure Minister Jack Warner that contractors are complaining that they could not get bitumen from Petrotrin to do their work.

“The Government and, in particular, the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure are not the only users of asphalt as was implied in the media report,” he said.

“While the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure is the major consumer of asphalt in the country, there are significant others such as private housing developers, heavy industries, other state companies—EMBD, HDC, AATT, etc—so to suggest that the excess of bitumen purchased from Petrotrin and not used on government roads is lending some sort of “racket” akin to the diesoline situation is shallow and absurd and demonstrates a total ignorance of the market place,” Aqui said.

Petrotrin did not wish to get into the controversy. It's senior corporate communications officer Walford Coker told the Guardian: “All we have to say is that Lake Asphalt is responsible for the sale of all bitumen in T&T." He added, "They are responsible for all local sales.”