GUYANA – Opposition Member of Parliament MP Ganesh Mahipaul on Friday reiterated his party’s call for the $800M Belle Vue pump station contract awarded to the TEPUI Group owned by social media commentator Mikhail Rodrigues also known as ‘Guyanese Critic’ to be terminated. Mahipaul said the contract should be terminated because the procurement process was deeply flawed. His call follows Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s claim on Thursday that he had no knowledge of the award made to ‘Critic’ from the inception but has been vilified for it. On February 4, 2025 Kaieteur News reported that the Belle Vue  Pump Station contract which was awarded to ‘Critic’ is only 10 percent completed though the contractor had already collected some $182 million.

This was disclosed by Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha during the Consideration of Estimates and Expenditure for the Ministry of Agriculture last week in the National Assembly. Mustapha was grilled on the completion date for the project as well as the amount of money released to the contractor. Mahipaul had asked the minister to provide an update on the pump station, noting that “nothing is really happening there, and I know that it’s still within the contract period, but is there any update you can provide us in terms of, where, how, what is the new completion date and so on Minister Zulfikar informed the Committee of Supply that the completion date for the project has not changed. “It’s still under the contract period, and it’s about 10% work have already been completed there.”

He was then asked to provide the date by which the project was supposed to be completed, as well as monies collected. He informed the National Assembly that the project is slated to be completed by July or August and that the correct date would be provided.However, the contractor was paid mobilisation, advance and material, sheet, pile, and, I believe, timber. He was paid $182 million,” Mustapha said.On Friday, the MP told reporters that from the onset, the Opposition has said openly that the contract should have never been awarded to the TEPUI Group in the first place.“The evaluation process will determine your further eligibility to be awarded the contract…If you are the most responsive bidder, the lowest most responsive bidder, then it is expected that you be awarded the contract. He was never (the lowest responsive bidder) and we established that the matter was examined by the Public Procurement Commission, and the conclusion was that there were several violations in the awarding of the contract to TEPUI Group,” he said.Mahipaul highlighted that the country is seeing ‘Critic’s’ inability to complete the contract, as the works are technical and they do not fit his scope. He stressed that if ‘Critic’ had been properly evaluated and not awarded, there would be no issue. When you look at the at the Black Bush Polder pump station, over two to $300 million and that contract had to be terminated. When you look at this one at Belle Vue, it’s $182 million and that will be terminated, I’m telling you, even though it is still within the contract period, and June is expected to be the completion date, I did hear the Minister of Agriculture saying that there will be no extension. Well, I want to see what will happen after June,” he said.  

(Kaieteur News)

Photo: Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul (Mahipaul reiterates call