$228M Ministry of Finance annex 90% complete – Dr Singh after multiple rounds of reworking contract inherited by APNU/AFC

The $228 million Ministry of Finance annex at Winter Place and Croal Street, an incomplete and defective project that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) inherited from the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, is now 90 per cent complete.

This was reported by the Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh. He was optimistic that the building can be completed and ready for occupancy this year.

“It would be recalled that this was an incomplete project that we met when we came into office. We have had a number of challenges regarding the contractual arrangements surrounding this building.”

“We have had to do multiple rounds of reworking to bring this back into a po- sition where this building can be completed. We anticipate that this building will be completed this year. And it is our intention to start to bring the building into use this year.”

He noted that based on their estimation, the building is 90 per cent complete. However, he noted that it is still too early to definitively state which departments from the Ministry will be housed in the annex.

“That matter is still under active consideration and a final determination has not been made on it,” the Minister further explained, in response to a question posed by APNU Member of Parliament Volda Lawrence about the departments destined for the building.

Back in 2018 when the sod was turned at the location, the site of the former sports club of the Guyana National Cooperative Bank (GNCB), it had been reported that the annex would house the Ministry’s training room, a sports complex, a gym and the

Camp Street valuation office. It was also reported that the building would be finished by year-end.

Instead of a finished building, however, the Audit Office of Guyana had flagged various discrepancies with the contract, including approved payments for incomplete work. In his 2019 report, Auditor General Deodat