Nandlall digs deeper into $500,000 housing rental
Jul 01, 2017 , http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....0000-housing-rental/
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, has officially responded to the concerns of former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. This is as it relates to the rental of two houses at $500,000 each for two junior Ministers, Simona Broomes and Valerie Patterson.
However, Nandlall is not satisfied. To this extent he has written another letter to Isaacs for even more information than was initially sought.
Nandlall said, “I note that you have confirmed that the rental of a house for Minister Broomes was done without any statutory/constitutional provision or Order authorizing the same. You contend that the rental of living accommodation for a Minister is done by way of an “administrative decision”.”
Nandlall highlighted, again, only the case of Minister Broomes’s rental accommodation, ignoring Patterson completely.
He then asked Isaacs, “Please indicate who made the “administrative decision” to rent at a rate of $500,000 per month? What factors were taken into account in determining such a rate of rental of living accommodation for a junior Minister, having regard to the fact that the law provides only $25,000, as a housing allowance for the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and senior Ministers of the Government? What process of competitive procurement was embarked upon, if any, in respect of this transaction? Finally, was the approval of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) obtained?”
Nandlall noted that Isaacs, in his response, indicated that depending upon the cost of the rent, the approval of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) is obtained. Nandlall told Isaacs that he would be most grateful if provided with a copy of the rental contracts, if any, which the NPTAB approved.
He added, “You must be aware that the decision of an Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to grant certain concessions to a most senior functionary of his Cabinet and senior Minister of Government and Attorney General, as part of the latter’s contract of service, resulted in the institution of a criminal charge which is still pending. Hence my queries. I await copies of the other rental contracts requested.”
The Parliament Office is renting facilities for Ministers Patterson and Broomes.
Broomes’s property is being rented from businessman/politician, Peter Ramsaroop.
Isaacs has previously told Kaieteur News that the houses are being rented for the two because they hail from out of Georgetown.
Patterson is from Linden and Broomes from Bartica. Isaacs told this publication that he does not need the permission of the National Assembly to rent the houses, because the law does not speak to rental it speaks to housing allowances.
Initially, Nandlall had asked for the rental contracts. Isaacs said that Nandlall’s request has been conveyed to the accounting officer of the Parliament Office. Isaacs promised to rewrite Nandlall when the contracts are ready.
