PAC says probe will be completed by March 20
THE Public Accounts Committee of Parliament is to conclude its probe into the cost overruns on the Sandals Whitehouse hotel project by March 20.
The committee, which was expected to reconvene its sittings on March 6, after not sitting for the past two weeks, made the decision yesterday after contractors Ashtrom Construction Limited indicated they would not be able to appear on that date due to the unavailability of their lawyer.
It was agreed that the final three parties, namely Gorstew, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and Ashtrom Construction Limited would appear between March 13th and 20th.
Interim Chair Mike Henry said the committee would have to ensure that it met with all the parties by the 20th before Parliament recesses around March 24, for its ceremonial reopening marking the start of the new legislative year.
In the meantime, Henry also indicated that a draft report containing the results of the probe by the committee so far had been circulated among members. He, however, declined to make the contents public, noting that the appearance of the final three entities could impact the draft.
Auditor General Adrian Strachan, in a brief statement, said while what was reflected in the report represented his own views, he would be making some further recommendations to the committee chair. He, however, noted that the “report was incomplete without the input of the other three entities”.
This is the clearest indication as to when some closure would be brought after some six months of painstaking investigations into the US$43-million cost overruns on the project.
Since commencing its probe in September of last year, the committee has received a report from Contractor General Greg Christie as well as a forensic audit team. In addition, several appearances were made by joint venture partners the Urban Development Corporation, the National Investment Bank of Jamaica, Gorstew Limited/Sandals, Alston Stewart, head of Nevalco Consultants Limited, the company appointed by the UDC to manage the ground work, and Dr Vincent Lawrence, former head of the UDC who resigned when the controversy arose.
