Dionne Rose, Parliamentary Reporter

Government members on Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday accused Contractor General, Greg Christie, of presenting an incomplete report into the US$43.3 million cost overruns on the Sandals Whitehouse hotel project.

Mr. Christie appeared before the PAC yesterday to clarify statements made in his report, which was tabled in Parliament in July.

The Contractor General was questioned by Government members about the conclusions of his report. Dr. Morais Guy suggested the Contractor General's report was incomplete and had raised many questions.

Mr. Christie, however, stoutly defended the report.

"... The fact that somebody or someone raises a concern does not mean that the report is incomplete," he said.

"We are not here to persuade anybody about our findings here and we accept that there are folks who will have one view, and there are folks who will have another view on the conclusions that we have arrived at," he added.

More to come

Mr. Christie further informed the committee that he would be presenting an addendum to his report to Parliament within the next four weeks which, he said, would address concerns raised by those partners involved in the project and questions raised by members of the public.

But this response did not seem to sit well with newly-appointed Government member to the PAC, K.D. Knight, who suggested that Mr. Christie's inability to get the required documents was an indication that he was slacking up on the job.

"You think that (by) simply writing a letter you have discharged your responsibility? It is important to have the site meetings. Other bodies had the site meetings, what did you do to get them?" Knight asked. "I am saying as Contractor General, on this issue, you fell down on the job!"

PAC Chairman, Audley Shaw, however, intervened and said that was the opinion of Mr. Knight and not the committee.

Mr. Christie is expected to reappear before the PAC next week Tuesday.