Bauxite contract with Chinese draws suspicions

THE MICROSCOPIC lens of the Office of the Contractor General (OCG) is now focusing on the Government's proposed multibillion-dollar deal to sell its 45 per cent stake in the jointly owned Government of Jamaica-Alcoa-Jamalco alumina refinery to a Chinese company.

Contractor General Greg Christie said in a release Monday that his office had grave concerns in relation to a proposed pact to sell the Government's stake in the alumina refinery to Zhuhai Hongfan Non-ferrous Metals and Chemical Engineering Limited (Hongfan).

In the release, Christie disclosed that Hongfan's exclusive agent for the deal was Port Reliant Limited, a company about which the OCG had suspicions. According to the contracts watchdog, the deal was also subject to Alcoa's right of first and last refusal.

"At the root of the OCG's concerns are at least five major considerations which, when taken together, have raised very serious questions for the OCG regarding the public interest, transparency, value for money, competition, conflicts of interest, pro-priety and the merit and impartiality of the prospective contract award to Hongfan," the statement said.

The OCG reminded the country that it was on record in warning against an emerging and potentially dangerous and "corruption-enabling trend, on the part of the Govern-ment, in awarding government contracts to or through privately held business entities which were organised in offshore jurisdictions".