December 11 ,2020
An audit of the operations at the $1.6B Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal has uncovered that approximately $75M was overpaid to contractors during the construction of the facility.
This disclosure was made yesterday by Auditor General Deodat Sharma on the sidelines of an event held at Parliament building.
Sharma told reporters that the audit was completed and the findings were handed over to Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony and Permanent Secretary Malcolm Watkins.
He refused to divulge any other information while noting that he is still waiting on feedback from the Ministry.
Weeks after he was sworn into office, Dr. Anthony had announced that a technical team including auditors were tasked with reviewing the operations at the Infectious Diseases Hospital.
In an interview with Stabroek News, he had said that the auditors were reviewing the financial aspects as the owner of the building had stated that he is owed millions of dollars in rent for the property.
Sources had told this newspaper last week that the Irfaan Ali cabinet rejected multi-million- dollar payment submissions for works undertaken under the last government on the Infectious Disease Hospital and rental for the facility.
Among the rejections were payments for the former owner of the facility Jacob Rambarran and the contractors who worked on the transformation of the hotel into a hospital, sources had said.
During the debate on the 2020 national budget in September, Dr. Anthony had said the APNU+AFC’s flagship programme for the COVID-19 pandemic was to spend $1.6 billion on converting the Ocean View Hotel into a hospital.
He had charged that the facility seemed to be a cesspool for corruption.
On this note, he mentioned that some eight contractors were hired on June 16th. “The same day they signed the contract and collected. Mr. Speaker, payments were made in such a hurry that contractors got paid days before the accounting officers signed and certified the vouchers,” Dr. Anthony revealed.
He further said that there was no evidence of the contractors submitting performance bonds even as significant over payments were made to those contractors.
Dr. Anthony added that one contractor was overpaid some $70 million while another received $14.7 million to install an elevator at the facility even as there was still no elevator there.
The Infectious Diseases hospital was commissioned in July month end by former President David Granger.
The facility is currently fully operational and is use to houses all critical COVID-19 patients.
