The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

One of 11 contractors highlighted in a recent audit of Urban Renewal 2.0’s Small Homes Repair programme yesterday defended his work and accused Auditor General Terrence Bastian of potentially slandering his name.

Omar Thompson, whom the report claimed was paid more than $15,000 for two contracts by the Urban Renewal Commission despite not satisfactorily completing some repairs, yesterday called for the auditor general to “find out the truth” instead of “just guessing on stuff”.

In the audit conducted by Mr Bastian, it was listed that 11 contractors were paid more than $170,000 for work that was not completed or done, or was not satisfactory.

Mr Thompson made the list, which is included on page six of the report, reportedly receiving a contract worth $20,000 to repair a home but left “dissatisfying” work.

However, on page ten of the report, the homeowner who received the $20,000 for home repair is listed on two separate lines, showing that Mr Thompson received a $10,000 contract to fix her home and that another contractor got the same amount to do his own repairs.

On that page, Mr Thompson is listed again as having received an $18,000 contract to repair a different home.

Mr Thompson disputed some of the report’s findings.

“That’s untrue,” Mr Thompson said at the Urban Renewal Commission in Centreville. “That’s totally untrue. I never met a lady by the name (included in the report) and I never got a contract for $20,000.”

“All of my contracts started at about $10,000 including pay. Sometimes there may be a small additional fee because of some unforeseen stuff at the house. But all of the contracts were initially signed at between $8,000-$10,000. I think one time we had to use some additional funds to get some things done.”

He added: “The best thing to do is to consult somebody and ask if that’s the situation or whatever instead of just guessing on stuff. That’s not good for people’s names.”

Mr Thompson suggested that the auditor general did not get all sides of the story before finishing his report.

“I would say to him to find out the truth. One side of the story is always good until you hear the other side of the story. Like now, he said, I got a contract for $20,000 and I know nothing about it. Sometimes its misleading information.”

According to concerns raised in the report, 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 further noted from files examined that the contractors received full payment. There were no notations on the homeowners’ files to indicate that the work was incomplete, the report said.

Additionally, the report noted that contractors received mobilisation funds totalling $38,019.08 in Phase I of the programme for works incomplete as August 14, 2014. The report said that officials were not provided with an updated status of the home repairs.

However, the report claimed that Urban Renewal Commission Permanent Secretary Diana Lightbourne advised that “taking legal action would be the last resort.”

On Monday, Free National Movement Leader Dr Hubert Minnis said criminal charges should be filed immediately against any contractor who was paid by Urban Renewal without “finishing the people’s work”.

He said someone in the Ministry of Works or the Urban Renewal programme should be fired and someone should be charged before the courts with theft.

However, Urban Renewal Co-Chair Algernon Allen yesterday said the contractors found to have defaulted on their obligations have since been “weeded out” by the commission. He said the gentlemen should be “sued in the courts” for their actions.

“We would pursue them into the depths of hell to collect the money that is designated for the poor,” Mr Allen said. “We will pursue them into the jaws of hell to collect those funds that were not properly dealt with.”