$250,000 contract was awarded without Minnis Cabinet approval at Water and Sewerage
By thegallery242.com
NASSAU| In the latest day of testimony at the ongoing Adrian Gibson corruption trial in the Supreme Court, an engineer for the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) told the court that she is related to the former WSC executive chairman.
The engineer also testified that a $250,000 contract was awarded without Cabinet approval.
On the witness stand today, the engineer said when she returned to work from vacation, both locations on John F Kennedy Drive were being painted. She told the court that when she checked the cost of the job, she asked then-General Manager Elwood Donaldson if he had documentation to justify the cost because it was priced much higher than she had estimated. She told the court that Donaldson informed her that he had a QS report.
Shocking revelations have emerged regarding bid rejections and alleged irregularities in the painting of Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) tanks during Gibson’s tenure as executive chairman.
The prosecution continued to present its case, emphasizing that a bid rejected by WSC for being too high was later awarded to companies where Gibson’s fiancée and cousin served as directors, despite their bids being higher. Complicating matters, Baha Maintenance and Elite Maintenance, the awarded companies, subcontracted the initially rejected company for the project.
A pivotal point of contention arose over the alleged discrepancy in the number of painted WSC tanks. The prosecution asserted that while six letters of agreement were issued, only five tanks were pinpointed to be painted.
The WSC engineer corroborated this claim on the witness stand, testifying that Donaldson took her to tanks. She stated some were not in use and didn’t require painting.
Additionally, one tank had a material preventing it from being painted, consistent with previous trial testimony.
Gibson’s defense argued that the tank issue should not be presented to the jury since no one was charged for the unpainted tank. However, the prosecution suggested a motive, emphasizing that executive management prepared a contract for it despite being told it didn’t need painting.
Tensions flared as Defense attorney Murrio Ducille objected to the judge, expressing concern over apparent alignment with the prosecution’s points. Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson countered, highlighting Ducille’s objections to having the engineer produce certificates to be deemed an expert. She noted that in previous instances, such requests were not made for experts in other fields, drawing parallels with doctors deemed experts without certificate scrutiny.
As the trial unfolds, the courtroom remains captivated by the intricate details and legal arguments surrounding the alleged corruption within the Water and Sewerage Corporation during Gibson’s tenure.
Gibson is accused of failing to disclose his interest in government contracts. It is alleged that he received $1.1 million in payments from contracts awarded by the Water and Sewerage Corporation while he served as its chairman.
Gibson is further accused of laundering the proceeds of those payments through the purchase of cars and property.
