Local executives of Brazilian construction giant OAS Construtora are tight-lipped about whether the arrests of top company executives in Brazil will have any impact on the construction of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin. The executives were accused of making bribe payments to politicians and committing administrative irregularities in several Latin American countries. OAS is the main contractor on the Government’s $7.4 billion highway project, which is being supervised by Nidco.
Contacted on his cellphone yesterday, OAS country supervisor Rodrigo Ventura reserved comment. “I will get in touch with you later,” Ventura said. OAS’s production manager Alvaro Antonia-Silva-Lopes was also unavailable for comment. However, Works Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan said the internal matters involving OAS Construtora were of no concern to him and the corruption scandal involving OAS would have no impact on the construction of the highway.
He added: “Our highway construction will not be impacted upon because of this international matter. We have a firm contract with OAS and they have to deliver. “Their internal matters are not of any concern to me. I am concerned only with OAS fulfilling their obligations and contract which they signed with us.” Last week, Junior Works Minister Stacy Roopnarine also said the highway construction project would not be affected by the OAS involvement in the scandal in Brazil.
But a source at Nidco said yesterday it was not surprising OAS had found itself in an international corruption scandal. “Over the past few months there were several administrative changes in the company. We saw many new faces on the local scene,” the official said.
Earlier this week, Brazil's federal prosecutor’s office announced it was charging 35 people in connection with a massive corruption scheme at Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras. The officials are accused of corruption, money laundering and forming a criminal organisation.