The Court of Appeal has largely upheld a judge’s findings in a long-running dispute between the Estate Management and Business Development Company Ltd (EMBD) and NAMALCO Construction Services Ltd, which was ordered to pay over $427 million in unpaid fees to the mega-contractor from La Brea, for infrastructure works it performed on four residential communities for former Caroni (1975) Ltd.

In the appeal, both companies challenged the findings of then-High Court judge Ricky Rahim (now an Appeal Court judge).

Justices Peter Rajkumar, Ronnie Boodoosingh and Geoffrey Henderson varied the High Court ruling, instead ordering the EMBD to pay Namalco $121 million for infrastructure works at the four housing projects. The state entity also successfully reclaimed $48.5 million in overpayments to Namalco.