Although Chairman of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Board Elsworth Williams cannot remember issuing a contract to Godfrey Yearwood, the husband of minister with responsibility for housing Valerie Adams-Patterson, he says that the board will have to take responsibility for the impropriety in such a circumstance.
“We did so much for Central Housing that I can’t remember that specific contract and I don’t know that we were ever informed that a contractor was the minister’s husband. We have heard about it now. I’m seeing it in the news now and if the CEO [Chief Executive Officer], who has access to all the minutes, says a contract exists, it exists,” Williams said in response to questions from Stabroek News.
He agreed with the opinion of the CEO, Lelon Saul, that a conflict of interest exists. “We believe everything must appear to be right. Appearance is very important. I believe the CEO appropriately represented the opinion of the former board when he said a conflict of interest certainly exists if the spouse of the Minister of Housing holds a contract to construct houses for CH&PA,” he stressed.
Williams, however, declined to comment on a possible way forward, while noting that the life of the board ended on January 30th and, therefore, it would be “unethical” for him to comment on a matter which is no longer within his purview.
Last Friday, Saul told reporters that “if the contractor in question is the spouse of the minister, certainly it will be a conflict of interest.”
Asked whether the CH&PA would consider issuing contracts to Yearwood in the future, he said that the award of contracts is done by the board but added that a review of the process should be considered.
“Several contractors were recommended and the board would’ve awarded contracts…. The award of contracts is above my level [but] I think the board should review that based on recommendations coming from the agency,” the CEO said.
Adams-Patterson, in turn, has refused to comment on the matter, while maintaining that she “has nothing to do with contracts.”
Yearwood’s position is supported by her senior, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, who told Stabroek News that “ministers don’t issue contracts.”
He directed questions on the process to the CH&PA Board, while indicating that a new board with Williams returning as Chairman, was recently approved.
This board is not yet gazetted and Williams indicated that he has not yet been informed about its existence.
Meanwhile, Bulkan has also indicated the he was not aware of any investigation into the Adams-Yearwood’s management of the housing sector, which has been reported in other sections of the media. “I have responsibility for the sector and should know of any issues but I am not aware of any investigation,” Bulkan said.
He did, however, indicate that a sub-contractor had contacted the ministry about non-payment. “The ministry intervened but it is a private matter between the contractor and the sub-contractor,” he noted.
Saul had made a similar disclosure, telling reporters that “a complaint was lodged at the ministry sometime last year [and] we would’ve called in both parties and we advised them to settle the issue.”
The apparent failure to settle the issue as advised is what brought the existence of the contract to public attention after the sub-contractor approached leader of the opposition Bharrat Jagdeo.
According to Jagdeo, the sub-contractor visited his office, showing him correspondence he had written to various government officials, including President David Granger.
“Yearwood sub-contracted these guys from the villages to do the work and then refused to pay them for the work done. So [the sub-contractor] came here and he showed me…Four times he addressed the matter [to the president] and four acknowledgment of his complaints and until now, he can’t get [any recourse]. Over a year of trying… he can’t pay his workers; they’re harassing him, because the minister’s husband refusing to pay for contracts he got from the ministry his wife runs,” Jagdeo said.
