Quantity surveyor not aware materials moved

When architect Dan Zak and quantity surveyor Cleveland Leonard reappeared before commissioners Annestine Sealey, Dr Chandrabhan Sharma and Eustace Hobson to give evidence relative to allegations of the unauthorised removal of materials from the hospital site to the Landate site in Mason Hall, both men denied knowing about the activities.

Leonard, who is attached to the firm Hart and Leonard, and who was responsible for the evaluation of the payment applications by the NH International (Caribbean) Ltd (NHIC), said he did evaluations on a monthly basis and made adjustments to the applications if necessary.

He said if materials, which he had taken into account during his evaluation, had been removed from the site, an adjustment would have been made the next month if he had been informed of the removal. He said all valuations were estimated because it would be virtually impossible to do a complete physical of all the materials on site, and he could not say if the materials taken to Landate were included in his evaluation.

Under cross-examination by attorney for the commission, Trevor Lee SC, Leonard said if the materials had been moved from the site after his evaluation, then NHIC would have received an overpayment on that evaluation.

In answering questions by Hobson, regarding a marked separation of the materials for the hospital project and the Landate project, Leonard said there was no flat rack, nor container indicating that there was material stored at the hospital site for another site.

He said the fact that the hospital site was being used as a transshipment site was never made clear to him, and had he known, he would not have agreed with it. Leonard said he heard of it being done on other projects, but had never experienced it on any project on which he had worked. He said as far as he was concerned, any material moved from the hospital site was wrong.

Under cross-examination by NHIC’s attorney Jason Mootoo, Zak said that while one percent of the material on the hospital site was a lot, it would not have been difficult for someone to remove that amount from the site over a period of time without the architect noticing.

Mootoo estimated that the material that was moved to the Landate site amounted to one percent of the material that was to be used on the hospital site.

Zak said he had no idea material was being removed to another site, and that he never authorised it.

He said the one time he had approved the removal of material from the hospital site, was when a request had been made by officials at the Tobago Plantation regarding the accidental delivery of materials for that project to the hospital project site. Zak said he never filed any complaints about "the incessant, or any removal" of materials from the site, and anyone who said so would be lying.

Hearing resumes today.