Oppositions’ MoU: AFC’s negotiator had contracts sole-sourced from APNU/AFC – VP

In a blistering critique of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has alleged corruption involving key figures in the party and in its past dealings with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Central to his accusations is the involvement of Jamaican political strategist Alston Stewart, who acted as the AFC’s negotiator during the Cummingsburg Accord of 2015, and is now doing so in the most recent Memorandum of Understanding. Stewart’s company was reportedly awarded a sole-sourced contract during the APNU/AFC administration. According to court documents, Stewart’s company received a $72.45 million sole-sourced contract in 2016 for motion scales. The payment was made in full upfront, but the scales were allegedly never delivered, leaving millions of taxpayers’ dollars unaccounted for.
In 2016, the Public Infrastructure Ministry under then Minister David Patterson had allegedly requested that the scales be sole-sourced from two companies owned by Stewart, thereby bypassing standard procurement laws. Cabinet was reportedly told that Stewart’s companies had over 15 years of experience in the industry — claims later revealed to be false.
During his weekly press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo questioned how a political consultant with no demonstrated expertise in the field could have been awarded such a lucrative contract. He also pointed to Stewart’s deep entanglement with questionable procurement practices during the tenure of the APNU/AFC government.
“Patterson Ministry requested that these scales be sole-sourced from two connected companies. Both of these companies are owned by Alston Stewart – their negotiator in 2015, and their current negotiator… They took the Cabinet paper and told the Cabinet that these two companies owned by Alston Stewart have the requisite experience, that they have been in business for over 15 years, which turned out to be a lie,” VP Jagdeo said.
“Patterson was in direct contact with this person…, How could you sole-source a scale from your political consultant who has a company with no requisite experience? How did you know they were supplying scales if this was not collusion?” he added.

Rehashing old rhetoric
Further, the Vice President criticised the AFC for rehashing old rhetoric of transparency and integrity while key members such as Khemraj Ramjattan, David Patterson, and Cathy Hughes remain at its helm.
“The last time I checked, he was the Chairman of the AFC when the Cummingsburg Accord was signed. Ramjattan was the leader, Trotman was a key member of the party at that time, Patterson was there, Cathy Hughes was there. These are the same faces from the past, and he said, ‘Oh we’re new now’. The only thing that is new is the new lies that they’re telling to people”, Jagdeo has said.
“I hope that the people of this country would realize how sick the AFC is to try to cheat us and fool us once again about lofty politics and their care for the people of this country and their love for transparency,” Jagdeo emphasized.
Further, he said, the Auditor General’s Reports indicate that none of the purchased scales has been located, despite full payment having been made for them. Attorney General Anil Nandlall had, in 2021, filed legal proceedings against Patterson, his Permanent Secretary Balraj Balram, Engineer Lawrence Mentis, and Stewart’s company for breach of contract, negligence, and misuse of public funds.
Nandlall is reported to have sought over $250 million in damages and restitution, claiming the defendants’ actions violated procurement laws and caused significant financial loss to the state.
He noted that the scales, which were purportedly shipped to Guyana in 2018, remained unverified, with only three of six packages having been found at a storage bond in Georgetown.
The AFC is yet to address these allegations.