Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall says he has no qualms about bringing legal actions against service providers who stray from their contractual obligations to the State. His comment comes against the backdrop of a litany of lawsuits he recently filed against two major construction firms. He contends that these actions are in keeping with the government’s thrust to preserve and fulfil the country’s developmental agenda.
During his live Facebook Programme, “Issues in the News” last evening, the AG made reference to St. Roses High School project that was being built by Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited (CBCSL), and the Yarrowkabra Secondary School by BK International. Both companies were giving marching orders this year. The CBCSL and BK were also slapped with$700M and $400M suits respectively by the AG, for their failure to meet contract requirements.
“Every time one of these projects stalls, it puts back the development agenda of the country,” he said, while noting that taxpayers need value for money. He added that the government will ensure that it advances alternative legal routes to recoup monies contractors have “drawn down and walked off with”.
“There are performance bonds there, there are guarantees that we can cash in on, and we intend to. We intend to get whatever damages we can get for breach of contracts. St. Roses, by the next school year, should have been taking in students. Yarrowkabra Secondary School, by the next school year, September school term, should have been taking in students. Those students’ lives are permanently set back…So they (contractors) have just destroyed people’s lives there! These contractors are playing with the lives of our children. So, we’ve taken them to court,” he said.
