HGP Nightly News – Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has confirmed that Tepui Group Inc., a company owned by outspoken social media commentator Mikhail Rodrigues, popularly known as “Guyanese Critic”, has been classified as a delinquent contractor and will not be engaged for any future government projects.
The disclosure came on Tuesday during the Committee of Supply’s examination of the 2026 budget estimates, where Minister Mustapha revealed that the ministry has formally blacklisted approximately 30 contractors deemed delinquent and forwarded the list to the National Procurement and Tendering Administration.
“Those are delinquent contractors from the Ministry of Agriculture, and we will not want to do any business with them,” Mustapha stated. “Anytime those persons tender for a job at the Ministry of Agriculture, we will object to it.”
The Belle Vue Project
Tepui Group was awarded an $865 million contract in 2023 to construct the Belle Vue Pump Station, a decision that drew immediate and sustained criticism. Detractors questioned the company’s qualifications and experience, pointing to Rodrigues’ background as a political commentator and YouTube content creator rather than a seasoned civil engineering contractor.
Addressing the project’s status, Minister Mustapha confirmed that work on the Belle Vue Pump Station is currently just 29 per cent complete. He explained that the contract permitted subcontracting, and Gaico Construction was brought on board last year to execute the remaining works. The initial work performed by Tepui, the minister clarified, was primarily excavation.
Despite Gaico’s involvement, the ministry is still holding Tepui Group accountable for the contractual failures. Mustapha confirmed that a performance bond is in place and that the ministry is actively pursuing mechanisms to recoup costs.
A Wider Purge
The blacklisting of Tepui is not an isolated action. Minister Mustapha revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture compiled and submitted its list of delinquent contractors to the national procurement authorities during the final quarter of 2025. Approximately 30 contractors now face exclusion from future bidding processes, marking one of the more aggressive procurement enforcement actions taken by the current administration.
The Meten-Meer-Zorg Question
In the same parliamentary exchange, Mustapha provided an update on the Meten-Meer-Zorg Pump Station, reporting that construction is now 83 per cent complete. “They had some difficulties there… and in two months’ time, I’m hoping that this can be completed,” he said, acknowledging ongoing challenges in the sector.
