The AFC yesterday played down concerns that party leader Khemraj Ramjattan is in a conflict of interest position over his legal representation of the Fedders Lloyd Corporation, which believes it was cheated of a contract to build the specialty hospital at Turkeyen.
Ramjattan’s role as lawyer for the Indian firm has been greeted with accusations by the government that the company and the AFC leader have political rather than legitimate motives for objecting to the US$18.1 million contract for the design and construction of the hospital being awarded to Surendra Engineering.
Speaking at the AFC’s weekly press conference, party Chairman Nigel Hughes urged Guyanese not to be distracted by personality, but focus on whether Fedders Lloyd’s rights were breached. Ramjattan is currently out of the country on business.
“The real issue is whether or not the procedures that were set out in the tender documents were adhered to. There is no rule in the profession that stops Mr. Ramjattan, who is a practising attorney, from plying his trade as a lawyer,” Hughes told the news conference.
Hughes, who is also a practising lawyer, assured that Ramjattan’s position on behalf of the AFC represents the party. He reiterated that the party leader’s position is consistent with his professional stance as far as fairness and transparency are concerned.
The AFC Chairman said he would expect the contract to be awarded on the basis of merit. “If awarded the contract, I would assume and hope that it is after a very transparent process of retendering, where everyone who has been invited to tender and the process of evaluation is transparent,” he said.
Hughes added that if the company performs badly, it would be Ramjattan the attorney and not the AFC leader who would have to represent his client to disprove that the company was liable for any acts of commission or breach of contract. “It’s certainly not the AFC’s position that Fedders Lloyd must get the contract. What we are saying is that the process was flawed and Guyana, as a country,
