Gov't will pay contractors but they must provide proof of indebtedness: Dookeran

Finance Minister Winston Dookeran told the Senate Tuesday the government of Trinidad and Tobago is willing to pay contractors what the state is owing them. However he said they must provide clear proof to show the indebtedness.

"I have told the contractors for instance that we are now ready and willing to deal with their bills, but their bills must be supported by evidence that can be justified.

"That itself is a challenge but the information I have before me is that within the last four months we have spent about $2.7 billion in meeting contractors' claims in Trinidad and Tobago" said Dookeran. 

"So we are moving on, they are claiming it is much more, we are saying sure, let us have the invoices that are properly supported," he added.

Speaking on the Finance Bill, which the Senate passed Tuesday night, Dookeran said there is no proof so far to justify the millions spent on the rapid rail project, which the government has scrapped. 

He said despite halting the project the government is still forced to waste more money and pay the loans taken due to fiduciary obligations.

"When we asked for a performance audit of the rapid rail project, we got information that suggest that there was no progress, there was nothing substantial.

"But we are left with the burden of the debt and over millions of dollars were used to develop the plans for the project to which this government has to carry the debt because we have to carry this debt at the risk of defaulting but it has had no economic benefit to the nation," Dookeran said.