Subhan, McCoy fleeced $$M through GINA newspaper
– Criminal investigation must be launched- KN publisher
By Abena Rockcliffe
Owner and Publisher of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall, believes that a criminal investigation should be launched into what appears to be a multi-million-dollar scam perpetuated on the nation through an overseas-based publication called
Former GINA Director, Neaz Subhan
“The Guyanese”.
“The Guyanese” was a newspaper produced by GINA, but was printed and circulated in New York. Kaieteur News recently reported that GINA has stopped publishing the newspaper since new management took over.
Mr. Lall said that it is clear that the nation has been duped while those who managed the newspaper “paid themselves with tax dollars.”
The new GINA Director, Beverly Alert, said that the entire arrangement for the paper was not to her standard of management. She said that there is a record to show that US$3,060 was wired fortnightly – for a total of 18 editions – to “an individual” (name given) for the newspaper. The full amount was US$55,080. The “individual” was not attached to any entity.
Lall has been in the newspaper business for over two decades and has been running his New York edition for the last 15 years.
He said that he is equipped with adequate knowledge and understanding of the business to be able to easily point out when a venture like this is not financially sound.
Kaieteur News is the most popular West Indian newspaper in the five boroughs of New York. The publisher said that he and his staff in New York generally keep abreast with all the other West Indian newspapers that come and go.
Lall said that he noticed “The Guyanese”. During his investigations, Lall found out that the paper was being printed at the same company that prints Kaieteur News. He also found out that GINA was not dealing directly
Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall
with the printery; it was going through a “middle man”.
Based on that and other “damning” information that Lall was able to uncover during his investigation, he returned to Guyana and started running a series of articles. Lall said that he published those pieces thinking that those involved would have been courageous enough to have provided much needed answers. But it never happened. Yesterday, Lall recalled how many times his newspaper sought to get the truth out of Neaz Subhan who was in charge of GINA at that time, “But he remained mum and dumb.”
The publisher noted that his first New York edition contained 32 pages. It gradually moved up to the current 80-page publication. He said that as a result, he is in a good position to quote costing for newspaper printing in New York, “at the drop of a hat.”
Lall said he was rendered speechless when he read figures quoted from GINA’s new Director to the effect that the company was paying US$3,060 for 5000 copies of a 32- page newspaper.
“It is unbelievable what they said they paid to print that newspaper. I have been in the newspaper business for most of my life so I knew at first glance that they inflated the cost. It could not have cost US$3,060 to print 5000 copies of a 32-page newspaper,” said Lall.
He indicated that the newspaper could be printed for far less than half the price documented by Subhan. In fact, the businessman said that the paper of that size could be printed for less than US$1000 per edition.
He said that 15,000 copies of his 80-page New York edition is printed on a weekly basis for less than US $3000.
“So it is a clear case of wholesale stealing of the taxpayers’ dollars. This is why when we broke the story,
Former Information Liaison to the President, Kwame McCoy.
they could not answer. They should go to prison for this,” said Lall.
“It is like if a reporter comes and tells me that he paid $3000 to travel from Kaieteur News to Kitty when I know very well that such a journey would not cost more than $500, unless the reporter takes a limousine.”
Investigations prove that in addition to the exorbitant prices quoted, GINA’s previous management lied about the number of issues printed so far.
Lall said he was shocked when he heard that 18 issues of “The Guyanese” were printed. He said, “As I told you, I was keeping tabs on the paper and I was collecting the editions all of which I still have in my possession. But I have nothing close to 18 editions.
“As a publisher, I have to be up to date with other newspapers that may enter the market. I am a businessman. I have to keep ahead of the game, keeping tabs on all the so called competitors since we cater for and supply the same market. I see many papers come and go.”
Lall also frowned upon the fact that GINA used a middle man. “Why would a state agency pay a private individual, a middle man, to print newspapers when there are so many printing companies?”
He said that he had spoken to the “middle man” when he was gathering information.
Lall said that an investigation into the matter would be very revealing.
GINA’s new director, Beverly Alert, told Kaieteur News yesterday that she would be more than willing to open the books of GINA to any independent auditor or a criminal investigation.
Copies of “The Guyanese”
During a previous interview, Alert said that her predecessor, Neaz Subhan, in the handing over, gave her a list of the number published and where it was to be distributed.
She said, “I was dissatisfied with the financial aspect of it; more needs to be proven.”
Before elections, questions were raised about the money spent by GINA to produce the newspaper for circulation in New York, but the state-owned entity remained silent on the cost.
Instead, GINA set about to deflect the issue by accusing Kaieteur News of telling lies.
Leader of Alliance of Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, who is now also the Minister of Public Security, had raised questions about the publication of the fortnightly newspaper.
Ramjattan questioned the spending by Subhan, and former government official, Kwame McCoy.
Subhan had said that he would not speak to Kaieteur News about “The Guyanese” as it was an internal matter.”
