Patrick Wong pleads guilty

[Skeng DX]

Patrick Wong, the former chief executive officer of the National Works Agency (NWA), has pleaded guilty to breaching the Contractor General Act.

The case against Wong was called up in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court this morning.

The former NWA boss was fined $5,000 or 30 days on the two counts.

Wong was summoned to court following a ruling by the Director of Public Prosecutions based on a referral by the Office of the Contractor General (OCG).

The Contractor General is alleging that Wong failed to comply with a lawful requisition from his Office.

[Skeng DX]

The request was in relation to the award of contracts by the NWA to contractors in St Catherine.

Wong resigned as the head of the NWA last week, following a damning report by the Auditor General into the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP).

The report cited glaring inadequacies and deep concern about the management of the programme.

However, Wong has defended his stewardship of the JDIP.

[Exile]

Nice fine! Should it be related to the value of the contract awarded?

[Skeng DX]

it should be updated to about 2.8 million dollar based on the average INFLATION

[Exile]

Maybe our fines should be quoted in US$ since our exchange rates keeps going up and up and up...

[Sir X]

$60 us dollars , these morons cry they are broke and they cant bring in revenue the only way they know to do it, is tax the poor , they would bring in millions if they revamped criminal fines to the rate of inflation or the cost of the act.

Its bloody ridiculous.