NRA boss under investigation

Paul Parchment

(CNS): The National Roads Authority board chairman has confirmed that it has commissioned an investigation into possible misuse of the authority’s resources by a senior employee, who has been suspended pending the completion of the probe. CNS has learned that the employee is NRA managing director Paul Parchment and that the case may be in the hands of the Anti-Corruption Commission, though officials there refused to confirm or deny any investigation. Planning Minister Joey Hew and his chief officer, Alan Jones, who has oversight of the NRA, have also been contacted but we have received no comment from them.

No details about the alleged corrupt activity has been revealed by any officials but Donovan Ebanks, the board chair, sent a brief confirmation about the probe.

“The Board of Directors of the National Roads Authority (NRA) has commissioned an investigation into possible misuse of NRA resources by a senior employee. The employee has been placed on leave pending the completion of the investigation,” Ebanks told CNS.

The allegations are believed to centre around the unlawful use of NRA equipment and other resources, which came to light when video evidence was reportedly given to members of the board.

There is no indication who will be acting as the authority’s director while the inquiry is underway, but Deputy Director Edward Howard has been at the NRA for more than 13 years, with six years as a traffic engineer at the Public Works Department before that.