AG yet to review parking meter contract

Even as City Hall has gone ahead with the controversial Parking Meter Project, Attorney General Basil Williams has stated that he is yet to review the contract between the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and Smart City Solutions Inc.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Williams disclosed that he only saw the contract on his desk that morning, having returned from two overseas trips. Nevertheless, he noted that he had a quick glimpse of the contract which seems copious and as such he cannot say how much time it will take for him to review the document.

“Matters of this nature, you know, it has such controversies surrounding it, it’s not something to rush. So, I’ll need to look at it and consult on it, etc,” the AG stated.

According to the Legal Affairs Minister, after he is done examining the contract, he will report his findings to Cabinet.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Joseph Harmon had said at the post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday that based on advice of the AG, Cabinet will take the necessary actions.

In the meantime, Smart City Solutions Inc has gone ahead with the project, hosting the media Wednesday last for a demonstration on how the parking meter works.

This was done despite mounting concerns over the lack of transparency in the deal, which persons say appears to be a shady one aimed at exploiting the local populace.

However, Cush, who owns both National Parking Systems and Smart City Solutions, maintained that the project is a legitimate one. In fact, he told reporters that he is not bothered by the review being conducted by Government since it is intended to detect any illegality; and assured Guyanese that nothing of the sort will be found.

“There is no fleecing going on… We have everything to lose, we will be responsible for all the overhead, for the software, for the hardware—everything. The City of Georgetown and Central Government will have no financial responsibility in the installation or the operation of the project,” he pointed out.

Furthermore, the United States-based Guyanese businessman disclosed that the contract was actually signed between the Town Council and Smart City Solutions, and not NPS as previously stated.

He added too that when the joint venture was formed, NPS was absorbed into Smart City Solutions, which he now claims is owned by Mexican Company – Operadora de Estacionamientos Bicentenario, SA de CV.

“Smart City Solutions is a subsidiary of Operadora de Estacionamientos Bicentenario, this is the parent company that is headquartered in Mexico City… NPS is no longer an entity that’s operating this parking system. The City of Georgetown signed a contract with Smart City Solutions. NPS is a shareholder in Smart City Solutions; Smart City Solutions is a subsidiary of Operadora de Estacionamientos Bicentenario, which is based in Mexico,” Cush told reporters four days ago. This information comes in light of mounting concerns over the authenticity of the two initial companies – NPS and SCS. Since the signing of the contract for the Parking Meters Project, several City Councillors have expressed scepticism about the project.

In fact, Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan had stated that he could not find proper information about NPS, which was believed to be the substantive company handling the project. Duncan had stated that the address given by Cush for NPS led to an address in New York City which housed the Atlanta City Bank. However, the director explained on Wednesday that no information could have been found about the company in the United States because its operation is based in Mexico City.