The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) will be called in to investigate an alleged conspiracy between staffers of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, some councillors, and a contractor to defraud the city of millions of dollars.
According to information reaching this publication, the contractor was hired since October 2015 to execute works such as weeding parapets, raking up debris, desilting alleyways and street drains, clearing empty lots, cutting down of trees and painting tree trunks and lanterns.
In 2017, however, a senior staff of the Council wrote the government for help in footing the bill for the services provided by the company, which amounted to $127M for the period 2015-2017.
However, in November 2020, another senior official signed a letter prepared by the owner of the contracting firm, accepting that the M&CC owes $128M.
Last month, the Council moved a motion at its statutory meeting requesting that 25% of the sum allegedly owed to the contractor be paid immediately and that a payment plan for the balance be developed.
However, it has since been discovered that during the period 2016-2018, the owner of the company received $130M in payments from City Hall.
This matter has since been brought to the attention of the relevant authorities and an investigation will soon be launched.
