GEORGETOWN, Guyana—Indian construction firm, Surendra Engineering Corporation (SECL) has denied allegations that it had submitted false documents to the Guyana government to secure a multi-million dollar contract to construct a hospital.
The government said the firm submitted a document purporting to come from the Central Bank of T&T in accordance with the provisions of the contract that required certain securities to be provided by the contractor in relation to advanced payment guarantees, as well as security, which would guarantee performance of a particular quality.
But Attorney General Anil Nandlall said when the document was “produced to my chambers for examination we requested some form of authentication for this company in terms of its existence and standing as a result of that request purporting to emanate from the Central Bank of T&T, a notary public seal affixed to that document in my limited experience a document coming from a bank will not ordinarily have affixed a notary seal.”
Nandlall said formal enquires from the Central Bank in Trinidad confirmed first by phone that the document did not come from them, and a signature on the document was made by someone who does not seem to exist. He said the T&T Central Bank has since launched its own investigation and the authorities here are assisting.
SECL managing director Brijen Parikh said his company “is not aware of the document and has not provided any such document as referred to in the reports in respect of Central Bank of T&T. SECL said it has successfully designed, constructed and completed more than 100 projects in 33 countries worldwide.
Caribbean360