THE Jamaica Civil Society Coalition (JCSC) has called for the Police Fraud Squad to be brought in to investigate the damning findings of the auditor general in the controversial Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), which was last weekend transferred from the Ministry of Transport and Works to the Office of the Prime Minister.

Yesterday, the group said it is heartened by action taken by Prime Minister Andrew Holness to the findings of the auditor general, since very little or nothing at all has been done when irregularities were revealed in past reports.

But even as the group commended Holness for the quick action in taking charge of the programme and for requesting an independent enquiry, the coalition said further action should be taken if the report reveals criminal activities.

“We want to see that the Fraud Squad be brought in if there is any implication or suggestion that there is criminal activity in relation to this infrastructure programme,” said JCSC’s steering committee member Professor Trevor Munroe.

“… Thereafter, in the context of that report, should there be any indication of irregular or illegal action… on the part of anyone then the law must take its course,” Munroe told a press conference at Alhambra Inn in Kingston yesterday.

At the same time, Robert Stephens of Jamaicans United For Sustainable Development (JUSD) said despite the prime minister’s quick and decisive move more needs to be done.

In the report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, Auditor General Pamela Monroe-Ellis said the Ministry of Transport and Works, together with the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Road Maintenance Fund, which has the responsibility for the implementation of the JDIP, had not executed the programme in a transparent manner.

“This is evidenced by inadequate capital project planning, monitoring and record keeping,” Monroe-Ellis said. “The deficiencies highlighted in this report threaten the Government’s objective to achieve its goal to improve the country’s road infrastructure under the Preferential Buyers Credit Facility with the Chinese Ex-Im Bank.”

In one of her findings, Monroe-Ellis said, contrary to the provisions of the Government’s procurement guidelines, the NWA used the sole source method to award a contract to China Harbour Engineering Company for approximately $102 million to refurbish its corporate offices, without the required approval of the National Contracts Commission.