Minnis: Charge contractors paid without finishing work

FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis.

As of Tuesday, April 14, 2015

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

CRIMINAL charges should be filed immediately against any contractor who was paid by Urban Renewal without “finishing the people’s work”, FNM Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday.

Dr Minnis’ comments came after a leaked report on the Urban Renewal 2.0’s Small Homes Repair Programme revealed that 11 contractors were paid more than $170,000 for work that was “not completed or done”.

According to the auditor general’s report, which has been obtained by The Tribune, one contractor was paid $30,000 for “repairs that were not visibly done” on a home that appeared to be “abandoned.” Another contractor was paid $9,999 for “incomplete work on a home” and the report says the house was not located. Additionally, another contractor was paid $9,800 to repair a home that “appeared to be abandoned with little or no evidence of repairs done.”

The report also noted that there was no competitive bidding for the home repair contracts and the contractors were not required to provide proof of all-risk insurance.

Dr Minnis told The Tribune that someone in the Ministry of Works or the Urban Renewal programme should be fired and the contractors charged before the courts with theft.

“This government knows nothing about transparency,” he said. “There were no bids for these contracts and it seems like they were given out to friends, family and lovers. The government did not follow up on the contracts and therefore we have this same issue over and over with no accountability and no transparency.

“Do you know how important it is for a small contractor to have insurance? What if someone was working on the building and got a nail in his eye? Or someone falls on a loose tile or a by-stander gets hurt walking back? You need insurance to cover that. The prime minister should be held responsible.

“This government is failing and on a downward spiral. Mr Christie needs to wake up, get out of his ‘la la land’ and hold someone accountable. A complete investigation must be done, we are going to push for criminal charges.

“We cannot be wasting the people’s money, we have no money to waste. The (House of Assembly’s) Public Accounts Committee will file a report very soon and the public will be able to get all the facts.”

The audit highlights a myriad of inefficiencies with the Small Homes Repair (SHR) programme and suggests that it be restructured.

“While reviewing SHR files, we noted that contractors received mobilization funds to carry out repairs,” the report says. “However, when we conducted onsite inspections of the homes identified . . . we observed that little work was done or no work was done at all. In some instances some of the homes appeared to be unoccupied. It was therefore difficult to determine whether value for money was achieved.”

The auditor general’s report recommended that an automated log should be maintained for each stage of home repairs, funds should be recovered from the contractors who did not complete works for which they were contracted and where necessary legal action should be taken and an explanation should be provided on who signed off on the certificate of completion and what action will be taken to address the incomplete repairs.

The report covers the period of July 1, 2012 to September 30, 2014.

According to the report, phase one of the Small Homes Repair programme began in November 2013.

When contacted for comment, Co Chair of Urban Renewal Cynthia “Mother” Pratt said a press conference would be held today to explain Urban Renewal’s position.

Attempts to reach Minister of Works Philip Davis or Minister of State in the Ministry of Works Arnold Forbes were unsuccessful up to press time.

TalRussell 9 years, 7 months ago

Get on this immediately Tribune news Editor. Comrades it now appears a total disaster may have hit Carnival 2015, beyond anything even on the unimaginable scale. It sure appears that Carnival 2015, have indeed lost complete control over their website:

   www.bahamascarnivaljunkanoo.com

http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2015…

Publius 9 years, 7 months ago

It's actually http://bahamasjunkanoocarnival.com Tal

asiseeit 9 years, 7 months ago

The police should be called and the contractors held accountable. Whoever paid the contractors or signed off on them getting paid should be fired as well. You (government) want us to pay all these taxes and are throwing our money around like it is grown at BAMSI. Check stock, you may not have to work for your money but we do.

John 9 years, 7 months ago

Mr. Hubert Minnis has enough trained lawyers in his entourage to know that a breech of a contract is a civil matter and not (at this point ) a criminal matter. The process is that the government will now have to send out demand letters to the slum/crooked contractors requiring them to complete the work or return the funds. If they fail to do so within a specified period of time then the government will have to take them to civil court. The good thing about this action, at least in the United States, is persons who have been sued or have lawsuits pending with the government cannot receive any additional contracts or do any further business with the government until any and all lawsuits are settled to the satisfaction of the government. This is a good way to weed out those who feel that the government owe them or that they are not obligated to perform on a government contract, because they vote for them.

FNM_Retards 9 years, 7 months ago

This negro still flapping his big $12 million mouth?

realfreethinker 9 years, 7 months ago

generalcrazy I see you have changed your name.

FNM_Retards 9 years, 7 months ago

I see you have a hard on for someone called generalcrazy

John 9 years, 7 months ago

who me I don't have $12 million

FNM_Retards 9 years, 7 months ago

No not you sir, I was talking about Minnis

birdiestrachan 9 years, 7 months ago

If persons were paid to do work and they did not do the work. They should return the money they received or they should do the work. to be honest is always best. . , Minnis did say he had another scandal . is this it or is there another. ?

John 9 years, 7 months ago

Well this may be a good plank in the FNMs election platform. That they will not hire contractors or give additional work to anyone who has incompletely contractual obligations with the government. And they will make serious efforts to recover any funds paid out to individuals and contractors where the work was not done or not completed.

Publius 9 years, 7 months ago

Since when is a contractor not finishing work a criminal matter? On the face of it, this would be a civil matter. The focus needs to be on the politicians and senior public officials who are signing off on and carrying out this corruption, in addition to the contractors who have failed to complete work they were paid to carry out.

happyfly 9 years, 7 months ago

I ain't taking a thing that come out of Minnis mouth serious until he puts his hand on the bible and says "freedom of information act". You hear me Minnis. You just part of the same old circus wasting our air 'talking' about this crap. Until somebody stands up for the rights of the people, you's a minus.

John 9 years, 7 months ago

Surprised that no one has been seriously injured by the way immigration officers have been operating in this country over the past two years. Not only are they rushing up on individuals in the street and demanding identification, then detaining persons who don't have any on them. They are also rushing into stores and other business houses and going into the most restricted parts of the business without a warrant and unannounced. Many businesses are on robbery alert and if these officers continue to rush up on people in their offices or even when they are using the rest rooms LIKE GOONS or PERVERTS someone is going to be mistakenly shot or injured being mistaken for a burglar. Need to start posting videos of how these goons are operating. Then they seem so disappointed when they find no one illegal in the business.

Cobalt 9 years, 7 months ago

When people act like animals they get treated like animals!!

What do you propose?? Walking up to them and saying, "please sir/ ma'am... we're conducting an immigration screening process. May I please see your documents if you have them available??"

Don't make me laugh! Bahamians are some of the most unruly, disorderly, unintelligent people the world has ever seen. Maybe if you had to deal with them on a daily basis like immigration officers, police, and doctors, you would realize this.

Half these monkeys need to go back to the Congo where they belong. They're uncivilized, morally inept, primates!!

John 9 years, 7 months ago

@Cobolt: you always use this forum to attack Bahamians, this time calling them animals, monkeys..blah blah blah. Why such a big chip on your shoulder and such despise for Bahamians....Are you mad, no angry, because your animal kingdom got away and are no longer your slaves...get over it! Be a man and say what you have to say about Bahamians independently rather than trying to piggyback your racial hatred on what others post and trying to encapsulate your hatred on their name. Better yet, change your living environment.

Cobalt 9 years, 7 months ago

What the heck are you talking about?? My living environment is just fine. It's having to treat and listen to porch monkeys such as yourself complain everyday about how the police and national security officers carry out their duties that vexes me. Piggy back you??? Please. Don't flatter yourself. Your grammar and vocabulary speaks to your ignorance.

All I'm saying is..... Bahamians deserve to be treated exactly the way they're being treated. So YOU get over it.

Sign in to comment

OpenID

The Tribune