Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator

Contractor General Greg Christie has clarified his statement that the Sandals Whitehouse project delivered value for money, despite the US$43 million (J$2.8 billion) cost overrun.

Responding to questions from members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday, Mr. Christie said he used the term 'value for money' in an accounting and not an economic context.

"What we are seeking to do here is to conduct an assessment to determine whether the payments which were certified as being made, with respect to this project, could be correlated with work certified as being done," he explained.

Disciplinary advice

Meanwhile, Mr. Christie has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kent Pantry, seeking his advice as to how he could invoke the provisions of section 29 of the Contractor General's Act dealing with offending public bodies and officers who act in contravention of the law.

The Contractor General told the committee last week that only 60 of the 191 public bodies have complied with the September 2006 deadline to submit information requested by his office.

Under the provisions of the Contractor General Act, anyone who breaches the law shall be guilty of an offence and is subject to a fine as well as a term of imprisonment.