Minister John Boyce is to be commended for his willingness to report on the progress of his Ministry. As Minister of Transport and Works, he has outlined the Government’s roadworks programme. He does this against the background of the ongoing political hooliganism that took place over the awarding of the expansion contract for the ABC Highway.

The most recent political hooliganism to have revealed itself comes in the announcement of corruption charges against Mabey and Johnson,  a leading UK bridge-building company which appeared in court to plead guilty to charges of overseas corruption and breaching United Nations sanctions. Mabey is charged with offences relating to activities in Jamaica and Ghana between 1993 and 2001. Mabey and Johnson are the former employers of Janathan Danos, a former top executive who left the company to form 3S Barbados months before the multimillion highway expansion contract was issued. We are now reading in the Times Online of this development.

 

While in Opposition, the Democratic Labour Party warned Barbadians of the shenanigans that were involved in the expansion project and the folly of entering into open-ended contractual arrangements. (See previous dlpbarbados.org articles dating back to August 2006, September 2007, October 2007)

 

The Auditor General has already expressed dissatisfaction with the persons charged with the project and the tendering process.