Piarco Probe — Day 36: Cateau to provide details of secret meeting; Concessionaires got raw deal; and...

Statements by former Government Minister John Humphrey which attempted to implicate President Arthur N R Robinson in the selection of Birk Hillman Commissioners slam Humphrey.

Consultants for the Piarco airport project have been publicly rejected by the Commissioners enquiring into the Piarco Airport Development Project.

The Commissioners denied Humphrey’s claim made last weekend that President Arthur NR Robinson, who was a Government Minister in 1995 was the one who headed the Cabinet-appointed committee which recommended Birk Hillman Consultants Inc (BHC) for the controversial project.

In a paid newspaper advertisement yesterday, the Commissioners said that in November 1995 when the UNC formed the Government, the Airport Authority was in the final stages of agreement with Scott Associates of Canada. Birk Hillman, they said, was nowhere in the picture at that time.

Humphrey reportedly said that when the UNC went into Government in 1995 it found two proposals for the project from Birk Hillman and Project Pride. He claimed Mr Robinson was “Head of the Cabinet-appointed Committee which evaluated the two proposals and later recommended the BHC proposal.”

“While it is our duty to summon Mr Humphrey to appear before our Commission, we are of the unanimous view that it is incumbent upon us and in the public interest not to wait until then to correct what appears to be an incorrect statement by Mr Humphrey which brings the good name of His Excellency into a controversial matter,” the Commissioners said.

The Commissioners headed by former Chief Justice Clinton Bernard include Keith Sirju, chartered engineer and lecturer, UWI, Victor Hart, retired quantity surveyor, Marie Ange Knights, former assistant auditor-general and chartered accountant and Peter Bynoe, chartered consulting architect. All five commissioners signed yesterday’s statement.

The Commissioners said that all oral and documentary evidence so far brought before it, indicate that at the time the UNC formed the Government in 1995 the Airport Authority was close to awarding the contract to the Canadian firm, Scott Associates and that Birk Hillman was nowhere in the picture at that time.

“On July 30, 1996,” the statement continued, “a Cabinet Minister (Brian Kuei Tung, then Minister of Finance) wrote then Prime Minister Basdeo Panday referring to earlier discussions and sought his leave to make a private visit to Miami to hold preliminary discussions with Birk Hillman.”

Continuing, the statement pointed out that: “On September 12, 1996, Cabinet appointed a Task Force chaired by Mr Ameer Edoo to select a project consultant, among other things. On October 17, 1996, the Task Force received presentations from Scott Associates and Birk Hillman as the basis for selecting a project consultant. Mr Humphrey and other Cabinet Ministers attended Birk Hillman’s presentation but not that of Scott Associates. Mr Robinson was not present at any of these presentations.”

The Commissioners’ statement added: “On October 30, 1996, the Task Force issued an interim report in which Cabinet was asked to agree to the appointment of Birk Hillman. On November 12 1996 Cabinet considered this report of the Task Force and agreed with its recommendation to appoint Birk Hillman.”

Concluding the statement the Commissioners added: “On November 28, 1996, Cabinet agreed that Mr Sadiq Baksh, the then Minister of Works and Transport appoint a co-ordinating and monitoring team, chaired by Ameer Edoo to replace the Task Force. That team was mandated to report to a ministerial team, comprising Sadiq Baksh, chairman, A N R Robinson, Ganga Singh, Finbar Gangar and Joseph Theodore. Mr Robinson was not the chairman of this ministerial team and this team did not select the project consultant.”

Hearings of the Commission of Enquiry continue today — the 36th day — at the Caribbean Court of Justice, Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain.

Piarco Probe — Day 36

Cateau to provide details of secret meeting

By CHARLEEN THOMAS

PETER CATEAU was yesterday directed to try to remember details of a secret meeting he had with a government minister and officials of NIPDEC and Birk Hillman Consultants (BHC) about Construction Package (CP9). That contract was awarded to Northern Construction Limited (NCL). It dealt with building enclosure and interior designs and was the package where the contractors price for a bi-fold door exceeded the engineers cost by over $90,000.

The lead person for NCL, Ish Galbaransingh, also volunteered to do work falling under CP9, even before the contract was awarded, while his firm was carrying out works under CP3. But whether or not Galbaransingh’s action was in anticipation of him getting the CP9 contract, Cateau couldn’t say. Cateau however admitted that such action was unusual.

Cateau also disclosed that landfill which was to be imported by NCL and Jusamco Pavers, were obtained from the airport site, free of charge.

Cateau, the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) client representative, was continuing his evidence at the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco Airport project being held at the Caribbean Court of Justice, Port-of-Spain.

Led by Commission attorney Theodore Guerra, SC, Cateau read from the minutes of the sixth site visit meeting at NIPDEC’s site office at the airport dated June 29, 1999, where members of the ministerial committee, representatives of NIPDEC, BHC, himself and contractors were present. That minute noted that a separate meeting was held between Cateau, the minister, BHC and NIPDEC representatives on that day. Referred to as a secret meeting by Guerra, Cateau agreed it was secret to an extent, because what was said was kept from the others.

Cateau however couldn’t recall what was discussed at the meeting, but said it was probably about matters which the contractors should not have known about. Cateau acknowledged that CP9 was the same contract where the contractors’ price exceeded the engineers cost by over $30 million and the cost of a bi-fold door by the contractor was put at $97,000 over the engineers cost of $463.

Cateau also agreed the contract grew as “it went along”. He couldn’t remember if it was John Humphrey or Sadiq Baksh present at the secret meeting, saying it might have been both. He couldn’t recall who had called the meeting, except it wasn’t him. After much prodding from Guerra and Chairman Clinton Bernard, he said it could have been Humphrey. Cateau did say that regular “separate” meetings were held before or after site visit meetings.

Bernard mandated Cateau to try to remember details of the meeting since it was important. Cateau promised to refer to his documents and to provide details today if he could. He was the only civil servant present at the secret meeting. Cateau said he however did not take notes, even if it was to protect himself.

Cateau also referred to Humphrey’s plan for a lake on the excavated site. Cateau said at the sixth site visit meeting, NIPDEC’s Acting General Manager, Margaret Thompson, pointed out that the client, the MOWT had agreed for the excavated site to be made a lake and she requested he write the company, so it would inform BHC about getting designs. But Cateau said the MOWT never made such a decision, it was Humphrey’s decision, and she had no authority to so direct him.

He later revealed that although NIPDEC had awarded contracts for landfilling to NCL and Jusamco Pavers Ltd, the Airports Authority (AA) under the Chairmanship of Tyrone Gopee, gave the companies permission to excavate landfill from the Piarco site.

Cateau said the landfill was supposed to be have been imported. He agreed with Guerra that they got it free and therefore saved considerable money on their contracts.

Cateau also spoke about him allowing contractors to have a concession area on site for their staff to have meals. He said the change request was paid for by taxpayers, but agreed it should have been paid by BHC. He also agreed that BHC owed us that money. He didn’t give a price.

Earlier Cateau confirmed that NCL while doing work under CP3, volunteered to do work falling under CP9 which had not yet been awarded. Cateau said he couldn’t recall if NCL was allowed to do the work. Asked if NCL was laying the groundwork to get CP9 or get compensation under CP9, Cateau did not answer. Asked if NCL’s action was because Galbaransingh was so sure of getting CP9, Cateau couldn’t say. But he admitted it was unusual for a contractor to offer to do work for free.

Questioned about why he didn’t do anything when NIPDEC awarded a contract to a contractor who didn’t post a performance bond, Cateau said he expressed concerns but Humphrey had declared he was responsible for making decisions on the project and his orders should be followed.

Concessionaires got raw deal

CONCESSIONAIRES at the Piarco airport got a raw deal with unfinished shops and had to spend thousands of dollars for services which should have been provided for them. The problems were described as design faults, including that of the revolving doors at the entrance to the duty free area..

This was revealed yesterday by Anthony Alleyne, chairman of the Concessionaires committee responsible for providing the Commission of Inquiry into the Piarco airport with information.

Alleyne, led in evidence by attorney Margaret Rose said there are about 30 concessionaires operating at the airport.

Among the problems they experienced and had to deal with themselves, was running their own main supply of electricity and their own sprinklers because the ones installed were unsuitable; casting their floors and putting up their own partitions.

Alleyne said those services should have been provided by the Airports Authority (AA). He said it cost between $15,000 to $27,000 for each concessionaire to provide their own power supply. Some concessionaires like himself have more than one store.

About the sprinklers, he said the wrong types were put in and concessionaires had to change them at their own cost. He said they were told by officials of Birk Hillman Consultants (BHC) that either they hired contractors to do it or allow the original contractor, Engineering Services Consortium to do it.