By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard criticised the impending launch of JDL Cargo Management, which will provide cargo and facility management services.

He called on the government to cancel the operation.

“Clearly, what is reported cannot be defended,” he said. “It simply cannot be that the government has signed on to a $25m plus arrangement outside of its own procurement law that would require an undertaking like this to go to competitive bidding.

“It cannot be that the Customs Management Act is being breached by allowing an entity to manage landed goods outside of the prescribed legal framework.”

Mr Pintard criticized the Davis administration for adding increased prices to the already “burdensome” customs processing fees.

“We in the Opposition categorically reject this arrangement and we demand that it be cancelled immediately,” he said. “Any necessary upgrades to the airfreight facilities should be funded from the fees Bahamians already pay.”

“It’s bad enough that this PLP government is using your money to fuel their lavish and wasteful spending - it’s worse that they expect you to give up even more of it to undisclosed private interests in what may very well be an illegal arrangement.”