Minister Patterson submits statement to SOCU – sources

Demerara River bridge feasibility study contract

Though tight-lipped about it, it seems that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is quietly continuing its investigation into the Government’s sole sourced LievenseCSO contract for a feasibility study of a new Demerara River bridge.

Sources indicate that Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson has submitted a statement to SOCU. There are reports that he paid a very low-key visit to the agency, in sharp contrast to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo’s open visit to SOCU on Monday.
When contacted on Tuesday, SOCU head, Assistant Commissioner Sydney James, was reluctant to speak on the matter and promised to check with his investigators. Calls to Minister Patterson himself went unanswered.
It was reported on Tuesday that SOCU had given the parliamentary Opposition a commitment that members of the coalition Government will be questioned concerning the controversial contract.
This was according to Opposition Leader and former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who spoke to the media following his ‘interview’ at SOCU headquarters on Monday, where he was questioned by investigators probing the Pradoville land distribution matter.
When he went in, Jagdeo told the press his motive for appearing included setting a precedent for the current Government. He explained that the parliamentary Opposition has several matters involving the coalition it would like investigated.
When he came out of the interview, Jagdeo informed the media that SOCU has committed to having current Ministers questioned for one of those very matters — the contract for a feasibility study of the new Demerara River bridge.

“One thing that is pleasing about the interview is that at the end of it, I asked whether SOCU will be proceeding with the case I filed against Patterson. The answer was yes. So I asked whether SOCU will interview him at his office or here and I was told he would be called here for an interview and other members of the Cabinet will be invited here. So we’re very pleased about that, that the same standard will be used.”
‘So hopefully next week you’ll start seeing members of the Government coming to SOCU here to answer for the contract that was awarded illegally with the complicity of Cabinet. We also indicated to SOCU that we have five other cases to send to them. Because the DPP had indicated we need to go through the Police first, when she nolle prossed the charges,” he explained.
In light of this, Jagdeo was expectant that over the next year and a half Cabinet Ministers would make regular visits to SOCU to answer questions, providing that the Unit acts in a professional and impartial manner.
The contract in question was awarded to Dutch company, LievenseCSO, for a feasibility study into the new Demerara River bridge. The Opposition had requested that the Public Procurement Commission investigate the award of the $148 million sole sourced contract.
In its report on the matter, the Commission flagged Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson for requesting from Cabinet that the contract be sole sourced, instead of being processed through the Procurement Board as the law says should be done. It was subsequently announced that SOCU would be investigating the contract award.