A capital project that threatened to divide the Progressive labour Party in 2019, and saw allegations of deception hurled at party leader, and Premier David Burt at that time, is about to come apart at the seams, and will call into question decision making at the highest level.
TNN can disclose that behind-the-scenes meetings, and investigations have been launched into the procedures that have led to the payment close to a million dollars in drawdowns to Atlantic Energy Solutions Group (AESG). The company, headed by former PLP Chairman Damon Wade, has been contracted to construct an alternative energy supply system at the National Sports Complex. The company itself is not implicated in any wrongdoing.
At the center of the investigation is a question over the legitimacy of the payments into AESG by a local bank, and the authorization there-of.
As a result, allegations of impropriety and fraud have been levelled at two high ranking members of the NSC team, Operations manager, Mr. Craig Tyrell, and the Chairman of the NSC Board Mr. Jache Adams.
Sources tell TNN that members of the Board of the National Sports Centre are concerned that there has been a breach of Section 4.3.3 of the Bermuda Government’s Financial Instructions.
They particularly single out Mr. Tyrell, and Mr. Adams.
Mr. Tyrell states that the bank made the first payment in the first week of June, after receiving the Facility Letter and Letter of Guarantee from the Finance Minister.
The Finance Committee of the NSC Board, in a communique to Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson, has called for an “Internal Audit of National Sports Centre Bermuda’s Recent Financial Activities.”
In a no-nonsense hard-hitting letter, the Finance group notes the following:
“We believe that unethical, fraudulent activities have been committed to advance this proposal, including:
**The submission of documentation to obtain a bank loan where signatures appear to have been forged:
**The breach of internal financial controls:
**The misuse of public funds.
The Finance Committee of the NSC Board was recently advised that a loan had been secured to advance the AESG proposal, but said it questions whether the Operations Manager, Craig Tyrell, and the Chairman of the Board, Jache Adams, were given the authority to enter a contractual agreement with AESG, and if so from whom.
The Committee urgently requested an internal audit to investigate the matter.
TNN has put in a request for a response from the Government and await a reply.
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