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Dudus still in business
Article Published: Saturday, June 12th, 2010
He is on the run but another company connected to the toppled Shower Posse leader Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is getting taxpayers’ money for providing security services. But the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which is footing the bill, is not giving all the details. This latest discovery reveals that Bulls Eye Security Services Limited has been contracted to provide security services to the St. William Grant Park and the Downtown Transportation Centre, the construction of which was budgeted to cost $120 million but ended up costing $480 million.
UDC’s general manager, Joy Douglas, did not provide a proper explanation when she appeared before the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year as to the reason for the overrun in cost. Checks by the Sunday Herald found that Bulls Eye was incorporated in 2003, one year after the ruling Jamaica Labour Party took over the parish councils after winning the Local Government Elections.
Christopher Coke’s business partner Justin Ogilvie, now in custody, is listed as director and has been filing returns since 2007, according to the records. However, Sunday Herald checks indicated that the fugitive was listed as director of the company at some time in the past.
According to Douglas, in both instances the contractors, in keeping with their responsibility for providing security services, retained Bulls Eye Security Services Limited. The UDC on behalf of the Government of Jamaica supervised the construction of the Downtown Transportation Centre and the St. William Grant Park for the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC).
“Although both projects have been certified as being practically completed, the UDC has been experiencing difficulty, because of the inability of the KCCIC to take over the projects. Instead, the UDC is therefore arranging the handover of the facilities to the end users,” Douglas told the Sunday Herald.
Continuing Douglas noted, “In the case of the St. William Grant Park, it is the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation, while the Downtown Transportation Centre is being handed over to the Ministry of Transport & Works.
The UDC has continued to use the services of Bulls Eye Security Services Limited on an interim basis pending the takeover of the facilities by the respective agencies.” The UDC, Douglas said, “continues to make the necessary representation in order to effect the handover of the facilities. Please be advised that in the case of the St. William Grant Park, the company was paid up to December 10, 2009 through the Contractor’s retention. No bill has been submitted to the UDC for payment to date although the service continues.” But the UDC general manager was evasive regarding the cost of the contract. In the case of the transportation centre, Douglas said no bill has been submitted to the UDC for payment to date although the service continues, at a rate of $235 per hour per guard, which is the standard industry rate.
She pointed out that the UDC was in the process of tendering for the services in light of the fact that we may have continued responsibility to secure these properties.
This is the same state institution, which leased property to Incomparable Enterprises Limited for $2.9 million annually. Aggregate from that quarry located near Ferry is being sold to Surrey Paving for use on the Washington Boulevard road project. The company is earning millions from that deal.
Based on Sunday Herald probe, Incomparable was recently blocked from getting a contract to renovate Justice Square, which is being upgraded to house additional facilities for the judiciary.
The latest revelations are in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars of state contracts to Coke’s company since the change of administration.
Article Published: Saturday, June 12th, 2010
He is on the run but another company connected to the toppled Shower Posse leader Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is getting taxpayers’ money for providing security services. But the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which is footing the bill, is not giving all the details. This latest discovery reveals that Bulls Eye Security Services Limited has been contracted to provide security services to the St. William Grant Park and the Downtown Transportation Centre, the construction of which was budgeted to cost $120 million but ended up costing $480 million.
UDC’s general manager, Joy Douglas, did not provide a proper explanation when she appeared before the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year as to the reason for the overrun in cost. Checks by the Sunday Herald found that Bulls Eye was incorporated in 2003, one year after the ruling Jamaica Labour Party took over the parish councils after winning the Local Government Elections.
Christopher Coke’s business partner Justin Ogilvie, now in custody, is listed as director and has been filing returns since 2007, according to the records. However, Sunday Herald checks indicated that the fugitive was listed as director of the company at some time in the past.
According to Douglas, in both instances the contractors, in keeping with their responsibility for providing security services, retained Bulls Eye Security Services Limited. The UDC on behalf of the Government of Jamaica supervised the construction of the Downtown Transportation Centre and the St. William Grant Park for the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC).
“Although both projects have been certified as being practically completed, the UDC has been experiencing difficulty, because of the inability of the KCCIC to take over the projects. Instead, the UDC is therefore arranging the handover of the facilities to the end users,” Douglas told the Sunday Herald.
Continuing Douglas noted, “In the case of the St. William Grant Park, it is the Kingston & St. Andrew Corporation, while the Downtown Transportation Centre is being handed over to the Ministry of Transport & Works.
The UDC has continued to use the services of Bulls Eye Security Services Limited on an interim basis pending the takeover of the facilities by the respective agencies.” The UDC, Douglas said, “continues to make the necessary representation in order to effect the handover of the facilities. Please be advised that in the case of the St. William Grant Park, the company was paid up to December 10, 2009 through the Contractor’s retention. No bill has been submitted to the UDC for payment to date although the service continues.” But the UDC general manager was evasive regarding the cost of the contract. In the case of the transportation centre, Douglas said no bill has been submitted to the UDC for payment to date although the service continues, at a rate of $235 per hour per guard, which is the standard industry rate.
She pointed out that the UDC was in the process of tendering for the services in light of the fact that we may have continued responsibility to secure these properties.
This is the same state institution, which leased property to Incomparable Enterprises Limited for $2.9 million annually. Aggregate from that quarry located near Ferry is being sold to Surrey Paving for use on the Washington Boulevard road project. The company is earning millions from that deal.
Based on Sunday Herald probe, Incomparable was recently blocked from getting a contract to renovate Justice Square, which is being upgraded to house additional facilities for the judiciary.
The latest revelations are in addition to hundreds of millions of dollars of state contracts to Coke’s company since the change of administration.
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