The Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Lelon Saul, today told reporters that he believes that it is a conflict of interest for the husband of the Minister responsible for Housing to be granted contracts for projects that fall under the agency.
It was recently revealed that the husband of Minister within the Ministry of Communities Valerie Yearwood, was one of several contractors who won bids by the CHPA to construct houses back in 2017.
The project is still ongoing.
Minister Yearwood has said that she played no part in the awarding of any contract since that is the job of the Board of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, which falls under the Housing Department, which she overlooks.
The CEO of the CHPA agreed that the contracts were handed out by the Board through a competitive bidding system, but he pointed out that “if the contractor in question is the spouse of the Minister, certainly it would be a conflict of interest”.
He explained that the Minister’s husband has not been granted any other contract since the one in 2017, but noted that the project for that contract is still ongoing.
Questioned about the possible granting of future contracts, Saul reminded that is the Board that awards the contracts and it is the Board that should review that situation.
Minister Yearwood today dodged questions on the issue, instead pointing all queries to the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
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