Bribe website gets reports of $6.4M thus far

– police, GRA, Public Works Ministry implicated   

A total of $6.4 million was reportedly paid in bribes since the launch of the Home Affairs Ministry’s ipaidabribe website – an online forum that gives citizens a chance to report anonymously on corruption in the public sector.

According to an analytical update on the website, since the May 16 launch of ipaidabribe.gy, thus far, three agencies and seven departments have been bribed. The most bribes were collected by the Guyana Police Force (GPF), followed by the Guyana revenue Authority (GRA) and the Public Works Ministry. The price for corruption as of Tuesday midday was $6,426,708 from some 48 bribe reports.

The GPF has thus far collected 10 bribes, rating an 80 per cent over the other three top agencies.  According to the most recent report, a Samaritan noted paying $5000 for jumping the traffic light. This was reported on the ipaidabribe.gy website on May 19 at 15:37h. The bribe was paid on April 24. The site also implicated the Providence Police Station, Police Traffic Headquarters, and the East La Penitence Police Station as some of the places bribe incidents occurred. Meanwhile, another report was made on the GRA on May 21 at 17:39h, where a bribe was allegedly not paid to the Customs and Trade Administration and the individual stated, “I have a vehicle on the wharf for over two weeks awaiting the papers to pay duty. I have now started to pay wharf storage fees; it looks now like I am being pushed into paying a bride to get the papers to facilitate me paying duty. What more, GRA, why the sloth, last time I find out the official said that there is no problems, so what is the problem!”

In a bid to reduce public corruption, the Home Affairs Ministry earlier in May launched the website ipaidabribe.gy, which will give citizens a chance to document cases of them being required to bribe public officials. The website will encourage the accountability of government officials, political leaders and every Guyanese citizen serving in private or public organisations.

This gives Guyanese an open invitation to use the Internet to report graft and bribery.

According to officials at the recent launch, demand for bribes is widespread in Guyana – police officers are chronically accused of shaking down motorists while customs officers are also regularly accused of demanding cash for allowing imported goods to be released.

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee stated during the launching of ipaidabribe.gy, authorities will try to stamp out that culture of bribery.  It is modelled after similar web sites launched in India, Pakistan and Nigeria in recent years. The site asks citizens to write about their experiences with corrupt officials and it will cover every ministry and state agency. Rohee mentioned officials will “investigate any reports made on the site”.

It was agreed by top officials of the ministry that modern thinking allows for innovation in fighting crime and corruption in order for the country to move forward.