Berbice Bridge Company charging Ram $50,000 per record

The Berbice Bridge Com-pany Inc (BBCI) yesterday advised business analyst Christopher Ram that it would be charging him $50,000 per record requested, a tariff Ram described as “criminal”.

Ram told Stabroek News last evening “I think it is criminal”, pointing out that BBCI was a government company by virtue of the over 51% of paid-up capital and should not be imposing onerous financial obligations on any person seeking information that is required to be available.

He said that the tariff was “designed to deprive me of a statutory right to information”. He said he will still be pursuing the information he has sought even if he has to pay the $50,000 per record.

When Ram first requested documents from BBCI on September 23, 2013 under section 194 (4) of the Companies Act, he was told by BBCI on September 25, 2013 that he had to provide “proper justification” for the request.

Ram replied to the company two days later pointing out that there was no such requirement in the companies act relative to records it is required to maintain under section 189 of the Companies Act. He asked that the request be granted without delay failing which he would seek recourse to legal action. The company then replied on October 1, 2013 and said that it had been advised that Ram was entitled to peruse the records “regardless of propriety” and that this could be done at its registered office at D’Edward Village, West Coast Berbice.

Yesterday, the company wrote again listing the $50,000 figure.