Brian Lara Stadium continues to attract flak

Trinidad's Brian Lara Stadium should be completed before year end, according to Gary Hunt, Trinidad & Tobago's sports minister.

Work on the stadium has been behind schedule for months and the whole project has attracted considerable criticism. Hunt said that it was 80% complete but would not give an exact date when it was expected to be finished.

"The contractors indicated that the facility would be finished this year, but to give you an exact date, I do not have that," he said. "I have to consult more closely with the contractors to supply a very accurate date ... and even in today's terms, you know that is subject to many conditions as we see in the construction industry today."

Opposition MPs have attacked what they have described as the "rampant corruption and financial mismanagement" of the project, but Hunt denied these charges.

"We indicated that we are going to look at a value for money principle in all projects that we execute and this project is no different," he said. "With regard to the exact cost, I believe that the past minister of Sports gave a statement in the parliament with regard to this and the figure put forward then was US $87.5 million. To give you a present estimate, I do not have that figure, and I would have to consult with the contractors."