During a press briefing held late last week, the Premier was asked why reporters were still unable to access the contract despite being assured several times that it was a public document.

Other government contracts such as those for Sunil Ramjitsingh, Hamlet Mark, and EZ Shipping were also observed as being hidden from public scrutiny, despite months of requests.

Not my role, machinery in place

The Premier insisted he is not the one responsible for making the documents public, stating: “That won’t be my role”. He said he could only offer to nudge those responsible for publicising the contracts.

“I would insist that they go back and register them publicly because there is nothing to hide with any of those contracts. The services were provided – some of them (government contractors) don’t even work for us anymore. They’re long gone,” Premier Fahie stated.

He said there was a “system in the government’s system” that should ensure contracts are entered at the court registry and prevent persons from having to come to the Premier’s office to request the documents.

The Premier further committed to registering all government contracts.

The apparent neglect to make the details of Skelton Cline’s 2019 government contract public continues amid reports coming out of the ongoing Commission of Inquiry that there are irregularities with the contract.