The Parliamentary Accounts Committee is keen to track down the missing project manager who oversaw the Port Royal Golf Course redevelopment.

The PAC held a public meeting yesterday to deliberate on the $24.5 million project, which has been the subject of a special report by the Auditor General. The project had originally been budgeted at about $3.5 million.

Government and Opposition committee members heard more than an hour of testimony from former Port Royal general manager Bill Pitt, who explained repeatedly that it was the Port Royal board of trustees and project manager Daniel Lemoine who made all the decisions in regards to the development.

“I was the general manager, not the project manager,” he said. “Mr Lemoine has the expertise for the golf course redevelopment. He knows exactly what to do for golf course redevelopment.”

Mr Pitt said his role had been to assist the project manager.

Under questioning, he said that progress reports were submitted to the board of trustees by the project manager.

However, he and the golf course superintendent both countersigned authorisations for payments, although he said that larger sums were the remit of the board.

PAC chairman David Burt asked if members of the committee would like to speak to more witnesses, with One Bermuda Alliance member Susan Jackson replying that “the number one person is the project manager”.

Mr Burt responded: “I would wholly agree with you.”

Ms Jackson told the committee that there was very little information about the project manager, but her own research had found that a Daniel Lemoine was connected with a company called Golf Consult Ltd, which had been incorporated under the laws of Dominica.

“There’s only a post office box for the company,” she said.

Her research also showed that payments to Mr Lemoine were made through a Federal Bank of the Middle East in Cyprus.

“It looks as though this is a bit of a phantom to track down,” she said.

Progressive Labour Party MP Wayne Furbert said that Mr Lemoine had been recommended “by persons working for the Bermuda Tourism Authority pushing golf overseas”.

He suggested that those individuals might be able to help find him, although he expressed concern at the cost of bringing him to Bermuda to give evidence before the PAC.

Ms Jackson suggested using Skype. “It’s simple, and without expense,” she added.

Bermuda Tourism Authority chief executive officer Bill Hanbury responded to Mr Furbert’s comments, saying that the BTA did not exist at the time and the “persons working” actually worked for then Minister of Tourism Wayne Furbert and the then Premier Dr Ewart Brown.

Earlier in the hearing, Mr Pitt said he had attended a board of trustees meeting at which it was stated that the directive had been given to renovate the golf course.

“I don’t know where the directive came from,” he added.

Responding to Mr Furbert’s question about his recollections of the initial $3.5 million budgeted for the golf course work, he said: “I don’t recall that number.

“The only number I remember is $13.6 million or $14.6 million — that is the only number I recall.”

Government had reimbursed the board of trustees $14.9 million — $1.3 million more than the authorised figure of $13.6 million, according to the Auditor’s Report.

Asked about the amount spent and his opinion of this, Mr Pitt said: “The money that was spent on the project was because it was a major overhaul. The work performed there was just amazing. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

He said he had been impressed with the now-missing project manager, adding: “He was efficient.”

Major Marc Telemaque also answered PAC questions, explaining he had been Cabinet Secretary from 2006 to 2010.

Asked whether he had been satisfied that Financial Instructions were adhered to, he said: “The Financial Secretary was responsible for the management and oversight of Financial Instructions.”

He also told committee members that “advice to Cabinet if confidential. Advice to Cabinet on policy is confidential.”

Ms Jackson asked Maj Telemaque if he had read the Auditor’s Report on the golf course, and sought his views on it as a lawyer.

“The Government doesn’t pay me to be a lawyer, so I can’t help there,” he said.

PLP MP Lovitta Foggo asked if there was anything in the report that struck him as “ being odd”.

“I don’t think there is anything to be gained by communicating my thoughts,” he said.