Rowley wants to know how $40M NP contract was awarded

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley wants to know all the details about a $40 million contract that was approved by National Petroleum (NP) which is now under investigation by the energy minister.

The matter of the contract came up last week when Attorney Martin George wrote to Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan on behalf of CDS Transport Limited, asking the minister to investigate possible bias in the award of the contract "in the interest of fairness, accountability and transparency."

Media reports suggested that NP showed bias in handing the contract for 20 tractor trucks to a garbage collector in East Trinidad. The minister responded immediately and said she would investigate.

Now Rowley is saying he will use the Freedom of Information Act to find out how the contract was awarded

He wants to see the Minutes of the NP Board meetings at which details of the contract were discussed. 

He is claiming that the contractor is known to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The Prime Minister has said she has not seen the relevant contract document