Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter

CHRISTIE

The multibillion-dollar Highway 2000 project has been placed under the probing lens of the Office of the Contractor General, as the Greg Christie-led office investigates allegations of irregularity, sources have revealed.

While unable to say much, Claudia Williams, communications officer in the Office of the Contractor General, confirmed that investigations are under way.

"We can only confirm that the Office of the Contractor General has commenced an investigation into the subject matter and the investigation is ongoing," said Ms. Williams yesterday in response to Gleaner queries.

Investigations started

While Ms. Williams was unable to provide the newspaper with details, sources close to The Gleaner have revealed that the investigations started late last month after concerned individuals approached Mr. Christie with what is alleged to be evidence of impropriety. The sources concluded that the information was sufficient to spark the ongoing investigation.

The sources also revealed that the Contractor General could, among other things, be investigating an alleged overrun of US$129 million on the first phase of the project, which includes the Sandy Bay and Portmore legs of the highway project.

Another area that could be probed, sources added, is the alleged change in the proposed Kingston to Ocho Rios leg that is estimated to cost $13.2 billion.