Berbice bridge company to comply with ‘unlawful’ takeover

Cars moving along the Berbice River Bridge (File photo)

Although saying government’s temporary takeover of the Berbice River Bridge is unlawful, the concessionaire Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) yesterday said it will comply with the decision and will consider whether it will mount a legal challenge based on a response from Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson to a request for a justification of the move.

In a brief statement issued yesterday, BBCI indicated that based on legal advice received, it considers the Order through which government has assumed control of the bridge to be “unlawful and ultra-vires” under Section 11 of the Berbice River Bridge Act on which it is based.

Further, the company said it has written to the minister requesting, pursuant to Section 15 of the Judicial Review Act, that he supply a statement of the facts and reasons on which he based the order.