This picture was taken at 366 Sixth Street, Battoo Avenue, Marabella, a contract awarded by the San Fernando City Corporation to Hasoma Company Limited
Marabella residents are calling on the City's Chief Executive Officer, Marlene Coudray, to explain the award of a contract by the San Fernando City Corporation to an elected member of the Council.
Residents were first alerted when, over the last six weeks they saw Councillor Jennifer Marryshow, the member for Marabella West supervising the project at Sixth Street, Battoo Avenue, which is in the Marabella East district represented by Deputy Mayor Malaika Blair.
This coincided with the presence of a worker on the project, Randolph Patrick, who is also a CEPEP employee in a company owned jointly by Councillor Marryshow and Marabella businessman Allen Campbelle. Materials for the project were delivered by the CEPEP Company's truck driver Sonny Baksh early in the morning while the company was engaged in environmental work all around the Marabella West area. It is also believed that Baksh is on CEPEP's payroll but I was unable to confirm this.
The Engineering Department of the Corporation told us that Hasoma Company Limited and Kerwin Belfon were the two contractors building a drain around 366 Sixth Street which will take water from the drains in the community into the Marabella River.
When we checked the records of the company at the Companies Registry, it was discovered that the company was indeed incorporated in 2005 by Jason Bobb, whose address is the same as Councillor Marryshow’s, 3 Theresa Street, Marabella. This is also the registered address of the company. Mr. Bobb is believed to have been the common-law spouse of Miss Marryshow
In 2008, Councillor Marryshow was named a director of Hasoma in a notice of change of directors. No annual returns have been filed since incorporation, so there is no record of shareholders, but a source close to Councillor Marryshow told us that the power in Hasoma is wielded by Marryshow.
Contacted yesterday, Mr. Campbelle said he is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the CEPEP company Marryshow Maintenance Services, but to the best of his knowledge be believes Mr. Patrick to be on the CEPEP payroll. He was later able to confirm that when he drove by the construction site, Mr. Patrick was there at the same time his CEPEP work gang was engaged in environmental work. SPACEAGE also spoke to an official at CEPEP, Chaguanas who promised to let us know if Mr. Patrick's name was on their payroll for those days. He said that CEPEP is a regular on-going programme and the workers remain on their payroll unless they are removed by the contractor. He also said that NIS is paid for those workers so it is easy to trace who the employer is.
The Corporation said its process for prequalification and the award of contracts is simple. First the Chief Executive Officer is informed and the engineering department supplies a prequalification form to get details of the applicant for scrutiny. All contracts are awarded through a tenders committee. This means that all parties would have known that the company is linked to Miss Marryshow because of her address and Mr. Bobb, who we are told, all officials are familiar with.
Asked if they were aware that Councillor Marryshow has an interest in Hasoma, the Deputy CEO Ragoobar said that there was nothing wrong with a Councillor getting a contract. He said that anybody could form a company and tender for a contract.
Residents were first alerted when, over the last six weeks they saw Councillor Jennifer Marryshow, the member for Marabella West supervising the project at Sixth Street, Battoo Avenue, which is in the Marabella East district represented by Deputy Mayor Malaika Blair.
This coincided with the presence of a worker on the project, Randolph Patrick, who is also a CEPEP employee in a company owned jointly by Councillor Marryshow and Marabella businessman Allen Campbelle. Materials for the project were delivered by the CEPEP Company's truck driver Sonny Baksh early in the morning while the company was engaged in environmental work all around the Marabella West area. It is also believed that Baksh is on CEPEP's payroll but I was unable to confirm this.
The Engineering Department of the Corporation told us that Hasoma Company Limited and Kerwin Belfon were the two contractors building a drain around 366 Sixth Street which will take water from the drains in the community into the Marabella River.
When we checked the records of the company at the Companies Registry, it was discovered that the company was indeed incorporated in 2005 by Jason Bobb, whose address is the same as Councillor Marryshow’s, 3 Theresa Street, Marabella. This is also the registered address of the company. Mr. Bobb is believed to have been the common-law spouse of Miss Marryshow
In 2008, Councillor Marryshow was named a director of Hasoma in a notice of change of directors. No annual returns have been filed since incorporation, so there is no record of shareholders, but a source close to Councillor Marryshow told us that the power in Hasoma is wielded by Marryshow.
Contacted yesterday, Mr. Campbelle said he is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the CEPEP company Marryshow Maintenance Services, but to the best of his knowledge be believes Mr. Patrick to be on the CEPEP payroll. He was later able to confirm that when he drove by the construction site, Mr. Patrick was there at the same time his CEPEP work gang was engaged in environmental work. SPACEAGE also spoke to an official at CEPEP, Chaguanas who promised to let us know if Mr. Patrick's name was on their payroll for those days. He said that CEPEP is a regular on-going programme and the workers remain on their payroll unless they are removed by the contractor. He also said that NIS is paid for those workers so it is easy to trace who the employer is.
The Corporation said its process for prequalification and the award of contracts is simple. First the Chief Executive Officer is informed and the engineering department supplies a prequalification form to get details of the applicant for scrutiny. All contracts are awarded through a tenders committee. This means that all parties would have known that the company is linked to Miss Marryshow because of her address and Mr. Bobb, who we are told, all officials are familiar with.
Asked if they were aware that Councillor Marryshow has an interest in Hasoma, the Deputy CEO Ragoobar said that there was nothing wrong with a Councillor getting a contract. He said that anybody could form a company and tender for a contract.
I have news for Mr. Ragoobar, a senior public servant! The Central Tenders Board Act states very specifically that no government employee, elected official, spouse, child could be awarded a government contract. These conditions apply to contracts awarded by the Central Tenders Board, the Special Ministerial Tenders Committee and the local tenders committees at the Municipal Corporations.
Councillor Marryshow has not been answering her cell phone and we are told that she does to respond to numbers that she does not recognise. Tough luck for constituents who may need her urgently.
Councillor Marryshow has not been answering her cell phone and we are told that she does to respond to numbers that she does not recognise. Tough luck for constituents who may need her urgently.
We have informed Mr. Ragoobar that we will make a request for information from the Council for all contracts awarded to Hasoma since its incorporation and the value of those contracts. So Look out for that information.
This is really interesting stuff,We the residents needs to know these things.Even if no responses are made from the parties involved,Is this how public business is conducted?
ReplyDeleteWow, they are having a ball, aren't they?
ReplyDeletethat woman got all kind of tricks up her sleve long time now and i new this from things i shall not say ,thanks for letting us no.
ReplyDelete