Police to investigate City Hall’s Royston King
–over $36M in tax waivers to Beacon Foundation
AUDITOR-GENERAL, Mr. Deodat Sharma has confirmed that the case of City Hall Public Relations Officer, Mr. Royston King has been handed over to the police.In an invited comment, Sharma told the Guyana Chronicle that the Audit Office found that there was a clearly established case for a police investigation. He further stated that the case had been handed over to the relevant
authorities.
In April 2013, it was alleged that King had signed a $36M tax waiver as the acting Town Clerk for an exemption of taxes to Beacon Foundation in the name of Beacon Chairman, Mr. Patrick de Groot.
The Auditor General confirming the alleged ‘fraudulent’ nature of King’s actions noted that, “we [Audit Office] had received the information, [and] the police were asked to look at the matter… The case was very straightforward.”
“The matter is with the police … [and] the police have started their investigation,” the Auditor General told this publication.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Norman Whittaker had made clear that the facts of the case presented “prima facie evidence that things were not done in the right way.”
Whittaker recently disclosed to this publication that to his knowledge, “investigations [by the Audit Office] are continuing on the alleged signing” of the multimillion dollar tax waiver. The Minister had called on the Audit authorities to determine whether the case demanded the attention of the police.
“We, at the Ministry [of Local Government and Regional Development] essentially asked the Auditor General to conduct an inquiry to determine, indeed, if there was any irregularity,” Minister Whittaker disclosed.
A statement from acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba, seen by this newspaper, confirmed that the letter which King had signed was for an exemption of payment of rates and taxes of Beacon Foundation at 127 Carmichael and Quamina Streets, South Cummingsburg to the Georgetown Mayor & City Council, in excess of some $36M.
In a series of circulated letters to the Auditor General and the Commissioner of Police, Minister Whittaker had asserted that the power to exempt owners of certain properties from liability to pay rates is vested either wholly or partially in the Council and not in the Town Clerk or any other singular officer.
The dispute over the Town Clerk’s appointment has spanned the tenures of three successive Local Government Ministers – Kellawan Lall, Ganga Persaud and Norman Whittaker.
In an e-mail to the Local Government Minister from the Principal Municipal Services Officer in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Ms. Nandranie Harrichan, it was recalled that Ms. Yonette Pluck functioned as Town Clerk until July 25, 2012.
Pluck was sent on administrative leave from July 24, 2012 pending City Hall investigations.
Harrichan added that Carol Sooba had subsequently been appointed by then Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Ganga Persaud to act as Town Clerk, replacing Pluck on July 25, 2012.
In a bizarre turn of events, the appointment of Royston King as the acting Town Clerk was also announced on July 25, 2012. King, however, had not lawfully held this position since his appointment required the approval of the Local Government Minister as mandated by the Municipal and District Councils Act Cap.28:01.
Since King was not legally appointed to the position of Town Clerk, it was determined that he would not have been authorised to make such a decision in the absence of the approval of the Council.
In any case, King would have issued the waiver to Beacon Foundation’s Patrick de Groot some 12 days before his ‘unlawful’ appointment by the Council, barring the consent of the Minister.
King had given all assurance, in a letter seen by this newspaper, to the Beacon Chairman that in keeping with Section 212 of the Municipal Act, Beacon Foundation had met the requirements to be granted exemption and further declared that “the council will have no objection to Beacon Foundation being granted exemption of rates.”
extracted from the Guyana Chronicle