CWA: A Dubious Contract of Rs 7 Million, Heads on the Chopping Block

Behind the imposing walls of the Financial Crimes Commission (FCC), a sweeping investigation is underway into the staggering Rs 700 million that appears to have vanished from the Central Water Authority (CWA). The FCC’s inquiry into significant irregularities surrounding the Pipeline Replacement Programme is making headway, with one particular focus on a questionable contract worth Rs 7 million, awarded for the replacement of 7.7 kilometres of defective piping in Bel-Air.

The investigation, which has been probing the broader Rs 700 million initiative aimed at replacing 437 kilometres of faulty pipes across the nation, has unearthed alarming discrepancies.

A subcontractor, who raised concerns with the FCC in 2024 regarding non-payment for work completed on behalf of the public body, has now become a key witness.

The FCC has indicated that, due to the irregularities uncovered during the investigation, heads are likely to roll soon.

Project officials, CWA engineers, and inspection staff have all been summoned for questioning.

From the outset of the inquiry, investigators discovered payments totalling Rs 2.9 million, officially categorised as “payments,” despite the presence of numerous anomalies.

The subcontractor, now enjoying the status of a witness, asserts that he has never received a single rupee.

The remaining Rs 4.1 million allocated for the project has been left in limbo.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this affair is the replacement of 4.5 kilometres of piping out of the 7.7 kilometres, which was executed prior to the official approval of the project by the CWA’s board.

This glaring irregularity places former Director-General Prakash Maunthrooa in a precarious position before investigators, as he must account for how this replacement occurred without the board’s consent.

The FCC has uncovered that no proposals related to this project were presented during board meetings, as evidenced by the retrieved “Minutes of Proceedings.”

An internal audit initiated by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure in July 2024 has proven particularly damning for the entire Pipeline Replacement Programme.

Not only did the specific contract for Bel-Air, signed for Rs 7 million, fail to meet the criteria established during the tender process, but the quality and installation methods of the pipes have also raised serious concerns among the audit team.

Launched in 2023, the overarching project aimed to replace 437 kilometres of piping across the island, with a total budget of Rs 700 million.

However, only 291 kilometres have been replaced by the CWA itself, while 34 kilometres were completed by subcontractors and an additional 112 kilometres by small and medium-sized enterprises.

The internal audit report has highlighted numerous anomalies in the utilisation of funds allocated to this national programme for the period 2023-24, suggesting a potential diversion of approximately 44% of the disbursed amounts to other projects, despite these funds being earmarked solely for the replacement of piping nationwide.

In February 2025, Patrick Assirvaden, the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, publicly condemned the Pipeline Replacement Programme scandal, revealing that Rs 700 million of public funds allocated to this national pipe replacement initiative had seemingly “evaporated.”

The minister directly implicated former CWA Director-General Prakash Maunthrooa, asserting that he would have to answer to the FCC.

As part of the commission’s expanded investigation, Chema Sakeesingh, Chairperson of the CWA’s Bid Evaluation Committee, was interviewed “under warning” at Réduit Triangle on Friday, 21 March 2025.

After providing explanations regarding the evaluation procedures and being confronted with various documents related to the case, she was permitted to leave.

As the investigation unfolds, the spectre of accountability looms large, with the potential for significant repercussions for those involved in this troubling saga.

Source: Defi Media