Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs, Joylyn Nestor-Burrowes, has accepted culpability for breaches to the law in the award of a contract under the former APNU+AFC administration.
The unusual case involves works to upgrade the Ministry of Legal Affairs’ electrical circuits to integrate solar power. According to the Auditor General’s 2019 report, works were done and payments made despite there being no contract.
It was explained that the contract was signed on July 29, 2019, over a month after the works were inspected and the defects liability period started. Usually, a contract is signed before contractors even mobilise to do work.
The matter was dealt with during Monday’s sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
“To avoid major disruptions of the Ministry’s work, the project was given some amount of urgency…we agreed we would have breached the regulation,” the former PS told the Committee.
Afterwards, the PAC emphasised the seriousness of the matter. PAC member Juretha Fernandes noted the importance of the committee sending a strong message. Also, PAC member Ganesh Mahipaul stressed that laws are there to be adhered to.
“The fact remains that these…these systems that are in place, these procedures that ought to be followed, is not there as rubberstamps.”
At the time of this controversy, Basil Williams was the Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General.
