| …as cement row with TCL heats upPresident Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday voiced concern that the Chairman of the Trust Fund of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ),Cristian Pavon Jersey, Dr Rollin Bertrand, is also the chief executive officer of Trinidad Cement Limited (TCL) which recently won a challenge it brought against the Guyana government over the importation of cement.Jagdeo’s statement came yesterday at a press conference where he was asked about his government’s refusal to comply with the decision of the CCJ to re-impose the Common External Tariff (CET) on cement imports.The CET regulates trade with the 15-nation CARICOM, dictating that a product should not be imported from outside the bloc, once companies within the region can meet demands.With Georgetown’s failure to comply with the Court’s August 20 decision to re-impose the CET on cement imports within 28 days, TCL and its local subsidiary again dragged the Guyana Government before the CCJ, saying the Jagdeo administration should be charged for contempt.The Attorney General of Guyana, Charles Ramson, has applied for a stay of execution on the Court’s ruling.Yesterday,Cheap NFL jerseys China, Jagdeo confirmed media reports that CARICOM Heads of Government discussed Dr Bertrand’s position and cited it as a conflict of interest, since he has to be in regular contact with the Court.The CCJ had ruled that the Government of Guyana was in breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas by failing to maintain and implement the CET on cement.Additionally, the Guyana Government was ordered to pay two-thirds of TCL costs. When Guyana failed to carry out the court’s ruling, TCL and its local subsidiary approached the court again.President Jagdeo yesterday said that CARICOM Heads of Government have discussed removing the CET on products that have reached international competitiveness. The President said he believes cement is one such product.In 2006, the TCL Group invested US$10.4 million in its first bagging terminal, in efforts to ensure that Guyana always has an adequate and reliable supply of cement.The company said that the establishment of this facility also fulfilled its objective of supporting the overall economic and development plans of Guyana.Attorney General Charles Ramson has said that the Guyana Government never disregarded the law by failing to adhere to a ruling by the CCJ.He has admitted that the Guyana Government had willingly admitted before the court that it was in breach of the rule requiring the imposition of the tariff on cement,Cheap Jerseys, noting that there was extenuating circumstances as regional cement supplies, including the plaintiff, could not meet the needs of Guyana’s booming construction industry.He stressed that it has been estimated that the country,Cheap Jerseys Online, over the coming year, requires 432,000 metric tonnes of cement,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, or 36,000 metric tonnes per month,Cheap MLB Jerseys Store, to meet its demand.This demand, the AG explained, cannot be easily met by the regional producers. To highlight this point,Cheap NFL Jerseys, he noted that the entire cement industry in Barbados could only supply 18,000 metric tonnes of cement per month, which is only 50 per cent of Guyana’s demand. |
