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A HIGH-STAKES legal battle is intensifying between state-owned Cepep Co Ltd and its former chairman Joel Edwards over allegations he misled the company’s board into approving contract extensions worth an estimated $1.4 billion.

In correspondence exchanged between attorneys this week, Cepep’s legal team, led by Senior Counsel Anand Ramlogan and attorney Jared Jagroo of Freedom Law Chambers, accused Edwards of falsely claiming Cabinet had approved the extension of 336 contracts for core contractors, key personnel and operational services until 2029. The move, they argue, locked the company into massive financial commitments without proper authorisation.

The accusations stem from a board note dated April 23, signed by Edwards, which stated that “Cabinet had agreed to the proposed extension of contracts across the company.” Cepep’s CEO, Keith Eddy, said Edwards personally assured him that then-line minister Faris Al-Rawi had confirmed Cabinet’s approval which Eddy says was never supported by written evidence.