The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) paid $89,996,389.80 for 60 habitable units at the Las Alturas housing development in 2010.
This, even after the original contract between the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) and contractor China Jiangsu International Corporation (CJIC) agreed on the construction of 134 units at a cost of $65 million VAT exclusive, said architect Deon Campbell yesterday at the Commission of Enquiry, at the Caribbean Court of Justice, Henry Street, Port-of-Spain.
He said the contract was varied in July 2008 for the construction of 132 units at a cost of $59,171,051.
Campbell, of Civil Engineering Management and Services (CEMAS), was responding to questions from the commission’s lead attorney, Pamela Elder, SC, regarding the cost of the housing project at Lady Young Road, Morvant, which was expanded to include buildings H, I and J.
Confirming that J was never constructed, which left the housing scheme 24 units fewer than originally planned, Campbell said the final amount paid ought to have been much less as the units were further reduced to 108.
Continuing to press Campbell for confirmation of certain information, Elder said with buildings H and I not being habitable, another 48 units were lost, thus reducing the number of units to 60, to which Campbell agreed.
Unable to say exactly how much was actually paid to CJIC, Campbell said this figure would only be for works that were carried out.
Meanwhile, the team of attorneys representing Geotech Associates Limited (GA)—which has yet to file a witness statement in the matter—led by Justin Phelps reappeared yesterday and objected to a former Udecott director being allowed to take the witness stand in his personal capacity as they claimed that his personal interpretation of a Udecott board meeting contained language that painted their client in a negative light.
Revealing that attorney and former founding board member of Udecott, John Mair, had prepared and tendered a witness statement after being contacted by the commission, Elder said Mair was prepared to be cross-examined by any of the attorneys appearing in the enquiry.
Mair was instructed to read his statement into the record by commission chairman Mustapha Ibrahim.
Among the items listed in his statement were condensed versions of two Udecott board meetings which took place on March 31, 2004, and March 24, 2005, respectively.
During the first meeting, Mair revealed, Udecott had agreed to award CJIC the $67 million contract for the construction of 297 housing units, whereas they expressed concerns during the 2005 meeting about the information provided by GA regarding geotechnical testing at the controversial site.
Although Mair was not called as a witness by Udecott's attorneys and is testifying in his personal capacity, Ibrahim said his testimony could prove to be valuable to the enquiry as Mair was employed at Udecott from July 2002 to December 2005.
Questioning Mair, Udecott’s lead attorney Richard Mason produced minutes of the two meetings mentioned by Mair.
Confirming that during the March 2004 meeting the board had considered two issues including the provision of 297 units and the award of the contract to CJIC which had submitted the lowest bid, Mair said he did not recall the criteria used to determine property acquisition. Mair is expected to return for further examination when the fourth evidentiary hearing gets underway on June 15.
AT A GLANCE
The commission of enquiry was set up to investigate “the entire process which led to the construction of the Las Alturas Towers at Lady Young Gardens, Morvant, and all other acts, matters or decisions done or undertaken incidental to and including the construction” of the project, which include the procurement process. Two multi-storey units of the Las Alturas housing project began falling apart after construction and the $26 million towers were earmarked for demolition.
They were part of a larger project, which was originally budgeted at $65 million and then rose to $90 million. The commission is chaired by former Justice of Appeal Mustapha Ibrahim. The other members include civil engineers Dr Myron Wing-Sang Chin and Anthony Farrell. Attorney Laraine Lutchmedial is the secretary. They were appointed by President Anthony Carmona last December. Last September, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar recommended an enquiry into the project after raising concerns about the two towers.
Persad-Bissessar said Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, who was a former housing minister under the PNM, as well as Emily Gaynor Dick-Forde, who succeeded him, have distanced themselves from blame. Rowley said though he welcomed the probe, it would be another waste of taxpayers’ money.