The PPP’s salaries to its top employees is shameless enrichment on the backs of Guyanese

AG report uncovers….Ramroop’s New GPC gifted more than US$15M in drug contracts

…overstocking leads to more than US$1.4M in waste – AG  

The Auditor General flagged the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC), owned by Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, for questionable transactions last year as it relates to drug purchases.

New GPC owner, Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop

Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, made the report public this past week and it has revealed that Ramroop’s New GPC received in excess of $3B to supply drugs to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Another $1B was spread across more than a dozen local and international companies. Ramroop received the largest chunk of the drugs purchased by Government last year and according to the Auditor General, this was done based on the fact that he was pre-qualified since 2010. This means that in 2010 Ramroop’s New GPC would have been selected to supply drugs to Government without having to go to public tender until that prequalification status expires. The government through between the Ministry of Health and GPHC spent just over $4B in drug purchases last year. The Auditor General in his report did have cause to question several of the transactions given that they were undertaken without valid Bank Guarantees. GPHC last year spent $1.6B in drugs of which $1.1B was handed to Ramroop’s New GPC. The Ministry of Health last year spent $2.7B procuring drugs of which $1.8B was given to Ramroop’s New GPC. According to the Auditor General, of the $1.1B handed to Ramroop from the Hospital for drugs, the Ministry of Health was noted to have paid $117M to New GPC on behalf of GPHC. The report said, “It could not be determined whether the supplier had satisfied the requirements for bank guarantees with respect to the contracts, since these were not provided for examination.” GPHC in responding to the Auditor General’s request confirmed that “there were no bank guarantees since payments made to the New GPC Inc. were on a monthly basis and not a one-time payment to reflect the contracted value.” Deliveries from these contracts were also made periodically during the year. According to the Auditor General, at the time of writing the audit report earlier this year, New GPC Inc. was still to deliver more than $8M in medical supplies to the hospital. The Auditor General also found that GPHC entered into a supplementary contract with the New GPC Inc for medical supplies valued at $114.5M and this was paid for by the Ministry of Health. At the time of reporting, earlier this year, “New GPC Inc. was still to deliver medical supplies valued at $58.6M,” on that supplementary contract. This would mean that New GPC was still to supply a total of $66.6M in drugs to the Hospital at the time the report was completed earlier this year. The Auditor General additionally found when a physical verification exercise was conducted at the GPHC off site location and the Pharmacy Bond, that there were 265 instances of expired drugs as at June 2013, totalling $65M. Meanwhile over at the Ministry of Health, the Auditor General uncovered an even direr situation. According to the Auditor General, the transactions with New GPC Inc. and the Ministry of Health included fifteen contracts valued at $1.6B. The contracts were supported by five bank guarantees and while they were required to be valid for one year, each of those supplied by Ramroop’s New GPC, had a validity of only three months and a set expiry pattern in months ending August 2012, January 2013 and April 2013. “There were no guarantees in force at the time of the examination, but the contractor was still to deliver goods valued at $164.6M” Even more worrying was the fact that the Ministry was also still to receive drugs that it paid for as far back as 2008. “At the time of reporting, outstanding deliveries for the year 2011 totalled $59.8M…The position remained the same for 2008, in that the Ministry is still to provide evidence to support deliveries valued at $79.3M,” the Auditor General said. The Auditor General also found that “large quantities of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies were kept in stock at a number of bonds and warehouses…In consideration of the fact that there were 327 items of expired stock with an approximated value of $208.090M, overstocking must have been a contributory factor.” This would mean that between GPHC and the Ministry of Health, more than $273M in drugs had to be discarded last year.

[www.inewsguyana.com] - Chairman of the Governance and Security Committee of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Captain Gerald Gouveia is now questioning the Combined Opposition’s friendliness to the Private Sector after A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in conjunction with the Alliance for Change (AFC) voted against a petition by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) in the National Assembly on Thursday, November 7.

The PSC had decided to petition the National Assembly to pass the Amendments to the Anti – Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Bill as they are fearful of the repercussions facing Guyana if the amendments are not made into law.

Gouveia who is currently abroad said he was made aware of the news this morning and expressed grave disappointment that both the petition and the AML/CFT bill was voted down by a majority opposition vote.

He told iNews, “I really don’t know what the opposition’s strategy and objective is, we have talked at length of the damages not passing the bill will have on the economy, businesses and jobs” he said, adding that “they are not meeting with the private sector, I’m simply shocked, this sounds very anti – Private Sector and scornful.”

Gouveia said the Private sector Commission submitted the petition in good faith and it is simply disappointing the stance the opposition took.

........................................................................................

Here you go Gerry, read what's happening in your govt. Still feeling shocked as to why the bill won't be passed by the opposition?

Suriname police rescue teenage

Guyanese girls from sex trade

Sunday, 10 November 2013

The planned fishing licences giveaway is a further assault on our sovereignty

DEAR EDITOR, Only Guyana’s dim-witted regime, less than one month after an oil exploration vessel was seized in hostile fashion in its waters by a neighbouring power (Venezuela) with huge territorial ambitions on its territory, would consider giving fishing licences to 40 Chinese trawlers to fish in its territorial waters. Only clueless administrators would make this offer to a country, China, that is very close to Venezuela, is deepening its ties with Venezuela out of oil security and is on a serious mission to expand its maritime presence and power geographically. Only beggars and bandits would prostitute their nation in this fashion, seeking to reduce the number of Guyanese-owned trawlers to 100 licences while giving 40 new licences to a foreign power to trawl in waters these same failed leaders cannot even patrol and monitor. Who but a bunch of ‘sailors’ would not only miss these clear signs and dangers but would so enthusiastically deflate their own fishing industry to bend over and spreadeagle for crumbs so they can expand their Pradoville palaces in the mudflats. Only miscreants and new colonialists will think in this fashion, destroying their own to fatten outsiders. The Chinese have mega-trawlers with on-board factories that will catch, process and package humungous amounts of fish without ever coming to shore. A handful of Chinese mega-trawlers will catch the same amount of fish the entire Guyanese fishing industry catches. Plus, these Chinese super-trawlers can go further than any local trawlers dare to go. With the Guyanese government’s zero capability to monitor these mega-trawlers, we will also have local trawlers illegally selling to these factory ships and coming ashore with little to nothing, thus driving up fish and seafood prices for locals already burdened by rising prices in this inflationary economy. And it will be Chinese-only labour aboard these super-trawlers. Is the PPP so catastrophically stupid to think the Chinese will only catch certain species and will throw back other species? Now, the Pradoville profiteers have given the same Chinese a licence to study which fish species can be extracted without depleting our fish stocks. This is the level of tomfoolery we are dealing with here! Let’s not forget that the Chinese are one of the biggest culprits in illegal fishing, particularly in deep waters of nations like Guyana, unable to monitor and patrol their own waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Armed with this knowledge, one has to assume that the Chinese along with other illegal fishing powers are already making a killing in our waters. With this knowledge, the question is this: could the challenged minds of the PPP be providing, by way of these 40 licences, legal cover to an already booming Chinese illegal fishing industry in Guyana territorial waters? After all, if the Chinese are fishing illegally in our waters, wouldn’t 40 licences to operate in waters we cannot patrol make it virtually impossible to determine which Chinese vessel is legally fishing and which isn’t? For all you know, 150 Chinese trawlers could operate with impunity in our exclusive economic zone, of which 40 of them will have licences, and those ‘sailing’ in Freedom House will not have a clue. Have they considered that the Chinese could strategically place their 40 licenced trawlers closer to shore where our patrol limit reaches and where our local trawlers have their utmost range? This will devastate our local fishing industry, as their small local trawlers plying the same waters would be dominated by the larger, faster and more advanced and effective Chinese trawlers, while other Chinese trawlers illegally fish in the deeper reaches of our territorial sea where we cannot patrol. Not only does this scenario destroy our local fishing industry which cannot compete with advanced Chinese mega trawlers, it runs the risk of severely depleting our fishing stocks at the same time. So, we end up with a collapsed fishing industry and a severely depleted fishing stock. Only in the watery Stalinist minds of the PPP leaders, led by Jagdeo and Ramotar, would this be a wonderful securement of our sovereignty. A nation with significant claims on its territorial waters from two neighbours (Venezuela and Suriname) cannot afford this senseless act from the rogues within the PPP, devoid of any inkling of patriotism and logic. Instead of encouraging local trawlers to expand, and to more forcefully commercialise our territorial waters by giving them 40 more licences, the PPP misfits want the Chinese to become the commercial presence in Guyana’s outer territorial waters and EEZ. Will these people ever do the right thing for this nation? How much is the PPP getting for these 40 licences? No nation faced with brazen claims on its territory should surrender control or allow economic exploitation in such reckless and destructive fashion. I commend the Chinese for doing what is right for their people. God bless them and their government for advancing the interests of their people. They are right to exploit those who will stoop for crumbs. It is up to the people of Guyana to deal with those among us who are operating blindly, not the Chinese government acting in its people’s interests. M. Maxwell

In 21 years no senior PPP official has been prosecuted in what has been the greatest orgy of corruption

November 10, 2013 · By Staff Writer ·

Dear Editor,

Here we go again! The press has reported that Mr Rohee, newly appointed General Secretary of the PPP, announced at a recent Press Conference the establishment of an internal Integrity and Discipline Commission to, “ensure that members of our Party serving in public offices at all levels, maintain the highest level of integrity in the performance of their duties.”

He also claimed that the Commission will investigate allegations of theft, bribery and forgery and that the Commission is mandated to investigate misconduct by Party Members who engage in activities unbecoming of a good member.

These could include defamation and sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.

The only members of the Committee named so far are Dr. Roger Luncheon and former Minister Clinton Collymore.

Can there be any reason to take this announcement seriously?

What has the PPP done about corruption since taking office 21 years ago?

Early in the life of their term details of a million dollar stone scam came to light when correspondence was sent to the wrong address.

That case was followed by numerous revelations of other examples of corruption.

In response, to the growing chorus of complaints Dr Cheddi Jagan appointed an Anti-corruption Committee chaired by Mrs Jagan, and including Mr Ramotar, to receive complaints and take action on corruption by senior PPP and Government officials.

Over the years the committee received information and complaints on a number of scandals including the following:

i. Home Affairs Minister receiving money for the granting of firearms licences – evidence of an exceptionally large spike in the issue of such licences was provided to Parliament

ii. A Minister’s son receiving a car from a contractor as a gift  and

another car from the T&T contractor rehabilitating the EB Demerara road

iii. In addition, when President Sam Hinds used the car which had been previously assigned to Dr Jagan in his capacity as President, Mrs Jagan claimed that it was a gift from a businessman and therefore Dr Jagan’s personal property. But no such gift had previously been declared as required by the rules.

Presidential Adviser on Empowerment Odinga Lumumba and Dr Roger Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, were implicated in the illegal export of protected wildlife species. 

Mr Lumumba admitted to the offence and apologized.

Mr Lumumba has in addition been accused of claim jumping of mining concessions and of  having illegal access to state lands.

Presidential Liaison Officer Kwame McKoy, the centre of several child molestation allegations, including one involving a taped recording of a conversation with a child from Linden, has been named as a member to the Commission on the Rights/Protection of the Child, in flagrant contempt of the implications for such action on the standing of the body.

Minister Kellawan Lall has been variously reported as being involved in incidents of drunken brawling, pistol whipping, illegal discharge of a firearm in public and hit and run driving.

He has never been charged by the Police.

  He was eventually sent as Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil from whence he was subsequently recalled under circumstances that remain cloudy.

A Minister against whom evidence emerged of involvement in selling firearms licences as well as organizing and directing a death squad, was similarly rewarded with a diplomatic post.

The most renowned of the PPP Ministers accused of such lawlessness has been Mr Jagdeo who, amongst other things, illegally granted to the enterprises headed by Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, an acknowledged personal friend,  extensive fiscal concessions.

One of his last actions in office in 2011 was to illegally grant to that very enterprise, radio and TV licences without reference to either the NFMU or Broadcast Authority.

Mr Jagdeo assigned to ten entities some twenty two frequencies, 17 of which were to family, friends and party supporters.

  These included PPP member of Parliament, Dharamkumar Seeraj and several persons associated directly and indirectly with Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud

as well as wireless cable licences to entities associated with Brian Young and Vishok Persaud, a son of late PPP executive member, Reepu Daman Persaud.

The PPP in opposition had bitterly denounced PNC members for supposed extravagance and regularly accused the PNC of squandermania and corruption.

Both Mr Burnham and Mr Hoyte took action in response to these and other allegations.

Several PNC Ministers including Ministers Haynes, Mingo and George King were either fired or prosecuted,

the latter primarily on the basis of PPP allegations (they labelled him ’Mr 10%&rsquo and rumours;

Messrs Hamilton Green and David Singh, were hauled before the Ombudsman

and while that investigation was underway Green, the Minister of Works, was transferred to an office and retitled Minister of Public Affairs within the OPM. This was a hitherto unknown agency and the Minister was given no staff.

In addition, several senior public servants were either fired or prosecuted for charges and allegations of seeking and receiving gifts etc.

These included Mr Scantlebury and Frank Noel, the PM’s Permanent Secretary.

These latter firings caused a firestorm among the middle class.

The dismissals  nonetheless stood.

Much later, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Robert Corbin, was removed from office whilst being investigated for allegations of sexual assault.

In the 21 years it has been in office, not a single PPP or Civic Minister has ever been sanctioned let alone fired or prosecuted in what has clearly been the greatest orgy of corruption ever seen in Guyana and with few parallels in the region. 

In spite of the sudden acquisition of wealth by PPP Ministers no investigation has been triggered. 

Not a single report or investigation of PPP Party functionaries was ever released or published by the Committee Mrs Jagan headed.

But whilst the PPP has managed to largely silence internal critics they have not had the same success notwithstanding their efforts.

Transparency International has classified Guyana as the most corrupt country in the Caribbean and the second most corrupt in Latin America. 

In keeping with the role of the administration in promoting this phenomenon, the PPP regime has been characterized in the academic literature as a kleptocracy.

But even as this type of behaviour characterizes the PPP regime they use the organs of the state to perpetrate human rights abuse on citizens.

Close to elections citizens have been jailed for years for treason and never prosecuted then Mr Jagdeo pardons one.

There has also been several cases of torture including torture of a minor either in retaliation or in a bid to extract evidence concerning a robbery of a PPP official.

Most recently, the sister of Minister Manickchand and a former member of the PPP delegation on the Elections Commission actually wrote a piece condoning the execution of suspects without trial.

It is a policy which was orchestrated by Mr Jagdeo whose call to the armed forces to kill suspected bank robbers was dramatically followed by the execution of six persons who had not even been accused of a capital offence. Not a fortnight ago three young men were murdered in this way.

The class, moral and community implications of this behaviour seem to have missed the leaders of the Party for whilst white collar crime  perpetrated by PPP officials and their associates are viewed by the leadership as not worthy of the attention of the Courts or even of internal disciplinary sanction, those persons believed to have committed robbery and theft, crimes associated with the poor in urban communities have attracted sanctions.

Public alarm is not helped by the fact that the officers accused of perpetrating some of the worst abuses such as torture at the behest of the Government have not only been promoted but have been placed in the public limelight – accompanying the President on trips abroad.

These decisions seem intended to display the PPP’s contempt for public opinion, good taste and our laws.

Sometimes this behaviour backfires as was seen in the inordinate delay three former Ministers encountered in securing the agreement of the host Governments when the Government named them as Ambassadors.

Little wonder then that Guyana under the PPP attracts the additional moniker of a criminalized state.

Officials use their powers both to facilitate criminal activity by others and to cover their own illegal activities.

It is one of the main reasons why significant sections of this population are reluctant to sanction without additional safeguards the granting of powers more draconian than currently exist, to the authorities, including the Police, in pursuit of anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism.

With the current widespread abuses of human rights and violence routinely directed against some segments of the community, the extension of police powers without additional adequate, impartial and non-political, civilian oversight of the power, would be foolhardy.

No one is fooled by Mr Rohee’s attempt to hoodwink the public into believing that these acts of executive lawlessness will be curbed.

We have heard it all before.

 Yours faithfully,

Carl Greenidge

Jaliki, how come you don't use my new avatar in your posts as you used to with the old one? ahahahaah

Ramroop admits

to having items recorded

as already delivered to GPHC

Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’Ramroop, who owns New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC), has lashed out at the Auditor General of Guyana over the discrepancies raised in his 2012 reports. Ramroop yesterday accused the Audit Office of “sloppy fieldwork by junior officials in the Office of the Auditor General.” But the Auditor General found among other things that there were several million dollars worth of drugs still to be supplied by Ramroop. These drugs were part of the more than US$15M worth of drug contracts Ramroop received from the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop

Ramroop admitted this and called on the Ministry of Health and GPHC, “to remove its goods from the corporation warehouses as soon as possible.” In seeking to explain the non supply of the drugs, Ramroop has also conceded that the New GPC is still currently storing a very large volume of items for the Ministry and GPHC which New GPC recorded as delivered. Ramroop said that Contracts, particularly the larger orders, sometimes overlap from a consumption point of view into the following financial year. Hence, it is not unusual that some items are not collected by the Ministry at the end of the fiscal year. However, it is unusual that these items would be recorded by New GPC as delivered. He said that national budgets are approved some time between March and July and hence the quantities being ordered sometimes cater for this overlap. But for more than a decade the budget has been presented in February. Ramroop said that the Ministry receives goods based on their own pre-determined consumption pattern and that means deliveries are staggered throughout the year. Ramroop also claims that contracts are signed at different times during the year, and so for those signed in the later months, deliveries are actually intended to roll over into the following year. On the matter of bank guarantees raised by the Auditor General, Ramroop claims that they are not meant to be valid for the original sum throughout the life of the contract. “As deliveries are made, the risk is obviously decreasing and hence a bank guarantee can be, and is, often renewed for a lesser amount.” In attempting to discredit the Auditor General, Ramroop said that the report appears to have been compiled on the basis of simplistic interactions with junior and non-technical personnel within the Ministry and GPHC administrations and does not take full cognisance of the nature of the supply chain process for pharmaceuticals and related products and the environment in which we operate. Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, made the report public this past week and it has revealed that Ramroop’s New GPC received in excess of $3B to supply drugs to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Another $1B was spread across more than a dozen local and international companies.

Ramroop received the largest chunk of the drugs purchased by Government last year and according to the Auditor General, this was done based on the fact that he was pre-qualified since 2010.
This means that in 2010, Ramroop’s New GPC would have been selected to supply drugs to Government without having to go to public tender until that prequalification status expires.
Between the Ministry of Health and GPHC, the government spent just over $4B in drug purchases last year.

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

In 21 years no senior PPP official has

been prosecuted in what has been the

greatest orgy of corruption

November 10, 2013 · By Staff Writer ·

Dear Editor,

Here we go again! The press has reported that Mr Rohee, newly appointed General Secretary of the PPP, announced at a recent Press Conference the establishment of an internal Integrity and Discipline Commission to, “ensure that members of our Party serving in public offices at all levels, maintain the highest level of integrity in the performance of their duties.” He also claimed that the Commission will investigate allegations of theft, bribery and forgery and that the Commission is mandated to investigate misconduct by Party Members who engage in activities unbecoming of a good member. These could include defamation and sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.

The only members of the Committee named so far are Dr. Roger Luncheon and former Minister Clinton Collymore.

Can there be any reason to take this announcement seriously? What has the PPP done about corruption since taking office 21 years ago?

Early in the life of their term details of a million dollar stone scam came to light when correspondence was sent to the wrong address. That case was followed by numerous revelations of other examples of corruption.

In response, to the growing chorus of complaints Dr Cheddi Jagan appointed an Anti-corruption Committee chaired by Mrs Jagan, and including Mr Ramotar, to receive complaints and take action on corruption by senior PPP and Government officials. Over the years the committee received information and complaints on a number of scandals including the following:

i. Home Affairs Minister receiving money for the granting of firearms licences – evidence of an exceptionally large spike in the issue of such licences was provided to Parliament

ii. A Minister’s son receiving a car from a contractor as a gift and another car from the T&T contractor rehabilitating the EB Demerara road

iii. In addition, when President Sam Hinds used the car which had been previously assigned to Dr Jagan in his capacity as President, Mrs Jagan claimed that it was a gift from a businessman and therefore Dr Jagan’s personal property. But no such gift had previously been declared as required by the rules.

Presidential Adviser on Empowerment Odinga Lumumba and Dr Roger Luncheon, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, were implicated in the illegal export of protected wildlife species.  Mr Lumumba admitted to the offence and apologized. Mr Lumumba has in addition been accused of claim jumping of mining concessions and of having illegal access to state lands.

Presidential Liaison Officer Kwame McKoy, the centre of several child molestation allegations, including one involving a taped recording of a conversation with a child from Linden, has been named as a member to the Commission on the Rights/Protection of the Child, in flagrant contempt of the implications for such action on the standing of the body.

Minister Kellawan Lall has been variously reported as being involved in incidents of drunken brawling, pistol whipping, illegal discharge of a firearm in public and hit and run driving. He has never been charged by the Police.  He was eventually sent as Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil from whence he was subsequently recalled under circumstances that remain cloudy.

A Minister against whom evidence emerged of involvement in selling firearms licences as well as organizing and directing a death squad, was similarly rewarded with a diplomatic post.

The most renowned of the PPP Ministers accused of such lawlessness has been Mr Jagdeo who, amongst other things, illegally granted to the enterprises headed by Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop, an acknowledged personal friend, extensive fiscal concessions. One of his last actions in office in 2011 was to illegally grant to that very enterprise, radio and TV licences without reference to either the NFMU or Broadcast Authority. Mr Jagdeo assigned to ten entities some twenty two frequencies, 17 of which were to family, friends and party supporters.  These included PPP member of Parliament, Dharamkumar Seeraj and several persons associated directly and indirectly with Natural Resources Minister, Robert Persaud as well as wireless cable licences to entities associated with Brian Young and Vishok Persaud, a son of late PPP executive member, Reepu Daman Persaud.

The PPP in opposition had bitterly denounced PNC members for supposed extravagance and regularly accused the PNC of squandermania and corruption.

Both Mr Burnham and Mr Hoyte took action in response to these and other allegations. Several PNC Ministers including Ministers Haynes, Mingo and George King were either fired or prosecuted, the latter primarily on the basis of PPP allegations (they labelled him ’Mr 10%&rsquo and rumours; Messrs Hamilton Green and David Singh, were hauled before the Ombudsman and while that investigation was underway Green, the Minister of Works, was transferred to an office and retitled Minister of Public Affairs within the OPM. This was a hitherto unknown agency and the Minister was given no staff. In addition, several senior public servants were either fired or prosecuted for charges and allegations of seeking and receiving gifts etc. These included Mr Scantlebury and Frank Noel, the PM’s Permanent Secretary. These latter firings caused a firestorm among the middle class. The dismissals none the less stood.

Much later, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Robert Corbin, was removed from office whilst being investigated for allegations of sexual assault.

In the 21 years it has been in office, not a single PPP or Civic Minister has ever been sanctioned let alone fired or prosecuted in what has clearly been the greatest orgy of corruption ever seen in Guyana and with few parallels in the region.  In spite of the sudden acquisition of wealth by PPP Ministers no investigation has been triggered.  Not a single report or investigation of PPP Party functionaries was ever released or published by the Committee Mrs Jagan headed.

But whilst the PPP has managed to largely silence internal critics they have not had the same success notwithstanding their efforts. Transparency International has classified Guyana as the most corrupt country in the Caribbean and the second most corrupt in Latin America.  In keeping with the role of the administration in promoting this phenomenon, the PPP regime has been characterized in the academic literature as a kleptocracy.

But even as this type of behaviour characterizes the PPP regime they use the organs of the state to perpetrate human rights abuse on citizens. Close to elections citizens have been jailed for years for treason and never prosecuted then Mr Jagdeo pardons one. There has also been several cases of torture including torture of a minor either in retaliation or in a bid to extract evidence concerning a robbery of a PPP official. Most recently, the sister of Minister Manickchand and a former member of the PPP delegation on the Elections Commission actually wrote a piece condoning the execution of suspects without trial. It is a policy which was orchestrated by Mr Jagdeo whose call to the armed forces to kill suspected bank robbers was dramatically followed by the execution of six persons who had not even been accused of a capital offence. Not a fortnight ago three young men were murdered in this way.

The class, moral and community implications of this behaviour seem to have missed the leaders of the Party for whilst white collar crime perpetrated by PPP officials and their associates are viewed by the leadership as not worthy of the attention of the Courts or even of internal disciplinary sanction, those persons believed to have committed robbery and theft, crimes associated with the poor in urban communities have attracted sanctions.

Public alarm is not helped by the fact that the officers accused of perpetrating some of the worst abuses such as torture at the behest of the Government have not only been promoted but have been placed in the public limelight – accompanying the President on trips abroad. These decisions seem intended to display the PPP’s contempt for public opinion, good taste and our laws. Sometimes this behaviour backfires as was seen in the inordinate delay three former Ministers encountered in securing the agreement of the host Governments when the Government named them as Ambassadors.

Little wonder then that Guyana under the PPP attracts the additional moniker of a criminalized state. Officials use their powers both to facilitate criminal activity by others and to cover their own illegal activities. It is one of the main reasons why significant sections of this population are reluctant to sanction without additional safeguards the granting of powers more draconian than currently exist, to the authorities, including the Police, in pursuit of anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism. With the current widespread abuses of human rights and violence routinely directed against some segments of the community, the extension of police powers without additional adequate, impartial and non-political, civilian oversight of the power, would be foolhardy.

No one is fooled by Mr Rohee’s attempt to hoodwink the public into believing that these acts of executive lawlessness will be curbed. We have heard it all before.

Yours faithfully,

Carl Greenidge

Ramroop admits

to having items recorded

as already delivered to GPHC

In other country, he would have been sleeping in jail. But in Guyana with the PPP/C corruptions abounds

Rev....As you know....

Jagdeo & Ramotar give top jobs

to other Black Thugs, Rapist,

PNC Election Riggers & Killers

WHO VEX ....VEX

Rev why waste Millions on these Black Thugs

Kwame, Lamumba, Edghill,

Hamilton, Bynoe,

Kit Nascimento, McClean, Jerry Gouviea

WHO VEX ....VEX

I Do not Support or Understand

Why Black House Of Israel Thugs

or PNC Stooges were given these Positions

by Jagdeo & Ramotar....

 WHO VEX ....VEX

Rev....Do You think by Giving these Top Jobs to

Kwame, Lloyd and Lamumba

Jagdeo & Ramotar has helped the Country,

The Govt or the PPP in any way...

Look at the results of the elections...

WHO VEX ....VEX

Is the Burnham Faction of the PPP &

The Jagdeo & Ramotar Funny Fellas 

above the law????

To date, it seems none of  the "big boys" of Burnham Faction of the PPP or Jagdeo & Ramotar Funny Fellas  have faced corruption charges, and not one has been found guilty and jailed for stealing from the public purse.

What this tells us is that we journalists and other media practitioners who have been largely responsible for exposing alleged acts of corruption have been wrong.

We have been "seeing things" where they did not exist, chasing apparitions, wrongfully and recklessly accusing honest politicians and public officials of dishonesty, of stealing, when all along they have been men and women of unimpeachable rectitude.

Well, it's either that—in which case journalists from Kaiteur News & Stabroek News owe these people and the public thousands of apologies—or there is in place a code of protection that straddles investigators and dispensers of justice, that ensures that elite white collar criminals get away with murder, almost literally.

In fact, there is an uncanny connection between corruption, perceived or real, and murder. The investigations patterns are similar.

The police or Integrity Commission or other agencies are always "hot on the trail" of perpetrators.

When, after months, we hear nothing further, someone says the case is not "cold".

Then an individual is gunned down and we are told that he was a suspect in five, ten murders. Cases closed.

Arrests rates are close to zero.

Of all the murders committed a year,

how many arrests are made?

And of those, how many reach the trial stage?

Of this miniscule number, how many convictions are secured?

So whether or not we implement the death penalty, which remains law, it makes no difference.

Murderers know they will hardly be caught, far less hanged.

The same holds true for corrupt officials.

The only cases of note that have been prosecuted

over the past 50 years

are those few involving persons

accused of corrupt acts or scandals

during the time Burnham and Hoyte was in power.

And you and I know

that those Funny Fellas under Jagdeo & Ramotar

seem to have to continue doing more....

and the Older PNC Criminals

who were thiefing up to 1992 

will sooner die of natural causes

 instead of facing the finality of their trials in courtrooms.

Indeed, one might ask

why should they pay a price for anything

while hundreds like them

are seen at social events

rubbing shoulders with the very people

who accused them of corruption?

If I may use the reverse scenario,

the Burnham & Hoyte administration

faced numerous allegations of corruption.

From the House Of Isreal Thugs 

to the Floating Barge that never worked ,

from billion-dollar projects that ran wildly beyond estimates

to siphoning funds off state enterprises,

the PNC regime was alleged to have broken corruption records.

Yet, twenty-one years

after the electorate voted the PNC out of office

based largely on perceptions of corruption and wastage,

not one of the PNC merry men (or women)

has been charged with anything!

Every now and then Jagdeo & Ramotar

will remind us about Crime & Corruption

under those Dark PNC Days..

But they never target any of the PNC Big-Boys or

 former directors and senior managers of state enterprises.

And, by the law of averages,

not only will they never be charged,

but over time they are likely to fizz out

like the proverbial you-know-what.

So, can we conclude that

the PNC regime was not corrupt,

that all such allegations were spurious, malicious?

Similarly,

the current Jagdeo and Ramotar Government

has faced innumerable allegations of

unethical conduct and downright banditry.

Hundreds of millions of dollars

are said to have been pocketed by ministers,

their families and friends, and party financiers.

Could it be that all these allegations,

all the investigative reports

that appear in the print media

with documentation to support them, are hoaxes?

Is it that journalists and media houses

have hidden agendas, ulterior motives?

Or could it be that this is a society

in which the public code of conduct

is premised on institutionalised deception

that allows the high and mighty

to get away with corruption, even murder,

while the poor and powerless suffer

the consequences of revenue stolen?

I don't know. I am confused. You tell me.

Whether today, tomorrow, anytime before or on the appointed time, the PPP/C will win the election with 51-plus% of the votes.

William Joseph “Bill” Bratton

US policing expert to  show T&T how it’s done

By Joel Julien   joel.julien@trinidadexpress.com

Not anymore DG, there was a time when the PPP/C was the party to go with, not any more, those in the PPP/C now are a bunch of crooks, and thieves. The President Donald Ramotar is the biggest liar and cannot be trusted just like the rest.

I know that you liked the PPP/C maybe your reason for giving them 51% plus. This will never happen, as most of their supporters are fed up with them, come voting time, their supporters would just stay home, and if that happens then you are looking at 40%. Look at it this way, when they were tops, 2010 2011, they could have only muster 49%, Now they are down, 40% is very generous.

Any elections and the result will be surprising.

Mitwa the last time dis Funny Fella

was good for 55% plus  Larwa....

Like eee cutback lil bit

to 51% plus Laar....

in de ole_hole

When eee teking de Laar from Kwame

do you think Kwame stop at

55% or 51% as he request...

Mits how do he verify de percentage...

According to Big_seed

Roto-Rooter set de Nembers fuh dis chap.

There is no way that the PPP/C will win if Elections were held today.

" I first wanted to be a doctor. Didn't want to be merely a specialist and craftsman and cure individual aches and ills. I wanted to cure the ills of society. I want to know that I have served humanity as a human being. All of us want recognition - I am not interested in recognition conferred on the basis of my bankroll. When I would have passed away, I would like it to be recorded that Jagan did his bit in the service of humanity." 1964

A few may thing that it will not be any more, ASJ, and there are others who believe that the PPP/C will again win the next election.

The PPP is definitely out. I agree 40% at the polls is very generous.

Did George Orwell envisioned the PPP leadership and its members when he penned  his porcine Animal Farm Characters? It's too close to be a circumstance of coincidence.

Auditors are major players in Tax evasion – GRA Commissioner

  By Kiana Wilburg Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram and economist Dr. Clive Thomas are of the belief that tax evasion, even in the face of the “shamefaced” attempts by the government to reform the Tax system, is now, more rampant than ever. However, the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Khurshid Sattaur, asserted that root of the illegal practice is the executives of major companies who are allowed to live extravagant lifestyles due to the aiding and abetting that takes place between them and their auditors.

Khurshid Sattaur, Commissioner General of GRA

Tax evasion is the method of illegally avoiding taxes one owes and on an aggregate basis, hampers governmental efficiency. While taxation is considered a major tool of economic management, Ram said that

“in Guyana,

there is one law for the rich,

the powerful and the connected

and another for the poor,

the voiceless and the helpless.

The immorality of Guyana is that

one set of people pays the tax

while another spends it.”

Dr. Thomas who also spoke on the issue, said, “Today, the tax system is fractured and, far too costly, burdensome, and inefficient.” Furthermore, the government on its competitiveness website: competitiveness.org.gy stated that since the early 1990s, Guyana’s Tax system has undergone a series of reforms aimed at stimulating investment. In 2000, the government established the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to lead the implementation of the accelerated programme. Several of the most important reforms are in the pipeline. They include, the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Excise Tax. Even in the face of the aforementioned, Ram contended that tax reform in our case has first to deal with tax evasion and administration. Ram said, “This government has been paying lip service to tax reform ever since it came to power. Unless it thinks that imposing VAT on top of high personal tax rates is tax reform, it has done nothing and tax evasion is now worse than it has ever been. “VAT has brought in immoral windfalls, reducing the incentive for reform which the Government has delegated to the National Competitiveness Strategy. So far, that body which is chaired by the President has shown no intention, appetite or capacity to deal with it. “And the GRA is either overwhelmed by the level and scale of tax evasion or is not utilizing the tools and deploying the resources at its disposal to deal with the crisis.” The accountant added, “While laws exist for dealing with tax evasion, resources available to the revenue authority are clearly inadequate to deal with the apparent scale of this practice.”

Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram

He added, “The administrative capability to deal with this crisis must be enhanced by better staffing, training and salaries.” However, contesting these statements was GRA Commissioner General, Khurshid Sattaur.  “While Mr. Ram seems to be suggesting that the GRA has a resource problem, it is regrettable that he does not recognize the tremendous changes that have occurred.” “These include major reforms in the information technology infrastructure, creation of a semi autonomous agency that is outside of the public service, significant reforms in operational procedures that resulted in over 400 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in use and the reform of the actual organizational structure from being a tax type to a functional organization.” He added that Professor Thomas is not aware of the vast improvements that have occurred over the past 13 years in revenue collection. Sattaur said, “Even though I accept that there is room for improvement, it should be noted that ten years ago, the aggregate collection was a mere $50 billion. At the same rate of exchange, it is expected to be in excess of $125 billion by the end of the year and this is achieved despite abolishing six taxes and introducing VAT to replace these inefficient taxes. “In addition, the threshold today is $600,000 per annum compared to probably thirty-three per cent of that years ago and reduction of rates as well. Even companies now pay as low as 30 percent, which is the same rate that individuals pay.” The Commissioner General reiterated his disagreement with the belief purported by the duo that tax evasion is on the increase as GRA has seen a massive increase in the amount of revenues collected. Moreover, Ram on his website (http://www.chrisram.net.) called for more relevant information to be disclosed in public documents. “Principal among these would be the annual report of the Guyana Revenue Authority which the Minister of Finance has failed to table in the National Assembly for some time now. Let us see how much the construction sector, the bauxite sector, the forestry sector, the agriculture sector including rice, sugar and other crops sectors contribute to the national coffers, and how much remissions, rebates and holidays they receive which may amount to billions each year. “We should be able to see how much each region contributes and compare this with their receipts from the central government,” the accountant said. However, Sattaur in response to this said, “There seems to be an agenda to bring down the agency and the government at all cost. GRA is audited by the Auditor General and the findings are laid before the Public Accounts Committee every year.” “If we have to get to the heart of tax evasion, then one would have to investigate the lifestyles of some of these major company executives who are allowed to pander to their luxurious and insatiable appetites from the high level of aiding and abetting that takes place with their auditors. One should ask Mr. Ram. He will enlighten you. That’s why the accounting profession which has a major role to play is silent as they are the main contributors.”

Dem Boys Seh…All dem smart man hiding under Donald shur-jak

The Heist of Guyana got a lot of heads spinning. De taxpayers now understand the scampishness and lawlessness dat was tekkin place right under they nose. People start asking serious questions and all dem smart man who plan de scampishness start panicking. Some ah dem start losing weight like if dem got bad sick. Dem boys see one man walking down de road and dem see he two back pocket kissing. Dem nearly didn’t recognize he and Doctor Leslie. When dem ask he wha happen he start fuh cry. But he tell dem boys that dem got people who deh more bad than he although it ain’t showing. And is true. Brazzy shedding weight like if he stop eating. And that is a man who like to eat. De Rat, de Bees and all de rest of dem kavakamites didn’t expect that all dem schemes woulda come out in de open in this manner. De skin up was so simple that it create an explosion in the people’s minds and expose the true colours of those in charge of all of de country money. When they were preparing their schemes, they were dazzling the nation with mixed-up language. Every day was something new and different. Ask Brazzy, Ashni, Irfaat and Rob de Earth. Dem boys know that when thief man come fuh kick down yuh door, rob or shoot yuh, dem never think for one moment that dem could get ketch. But de old people always seh “Every day bucket go ah well, one day ee bamzee must drop out” De Rat, Bobby along wid de forty chores wha hiding under Donald shur-jak, feel when dem bamzee get expose to de cool breeze. In jail it gun be exposed to dem newfound friends, some of who ain’t see anything fresh fuh a lang time. Talk half and watch how dem getting dizzy.

November 10, 2013 7:14 PM

Breaking News: November 12, 2013: NY Judge rules in Kaieteur News favor in a libel case brought by New GPC (Bobby Ramroop).

Ramroop admits to having items recorded as already delivered to GPHC

Bharrat Jagdeo’s best friend Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’Ramroop, who owns New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC), has lashed out at the Auditor General of Guyana over the discrepancies raised in his 2012 reports. Ramroop yesterday accused the Audit Office of “sloppy fieldwork by junior officials in the Office of the Auditor General.” But the Auditor General found among other things that there were several million dollars worth of drugs still to be supplied by Ramroop. These drugs were part of the more than US$15M worth of drug contracts Ramroop received from the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop

Ramroop admitted this and called on the Ministry of Health and GPHC, “to remove its goods from the corporation warehouses as soon as possible.” In seeking to explain the non supply of the drugs, Ramroop has also conceded that the New GPC is still currently storing a very large volume of items for the Ministry and GPHC which New GPC recorded as delivered. Ramroop said that Contracts, particularly the larger orders, sometimes overlap from a consumption point of view into the following financial year. Hence, it is not unusual that some items are not collected by the Ministry at the end of the fiscal year. However, it is unusual that these items would be recorded by New GPC as delivered. He said that national budgets are approved some time between March and July and hence the quantities being ordered sometimes cater for this overlap. But for more than a decade the budget has been presented in February. Ramroop said that the Ministry receives goods based on their own pre-determined consumption pattern and that means deliveries are staggered throughout the year. Ramroop also claims that contracts are signed at different times during the year, and so for those signed in the later months, deliveries are actually intended to roll over into the following year. On the matter of bank guarantees raised by the Auditor General, Ramroop claims that they are not meant to be valid for the original sum throughout the life of the contract. “As deliveries are made, the risk is obviously decreasing and hence a bank guarantee can be, and is, often renewed for a lesser amount.” In attempting to discredit the Auditor General, Ramroop said that the report appears to have been compiled on the basis of simplistic interactions with junior and non-technical personnel within the Ministry and GPHC administrations and does not take full cognisance of the nature of the supply chain process for pharmaceuticals and related products and the environment in which we operate. Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman, made the report public this past week and it has revealed that Ramroop’s New GPC received in excess of $3B to supply drugs to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Another $1B was spread across more than a dozen local and international companies.

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

Ramroop received the largest chunk of the drugs purchased by Government last year and according to the Auditor General, this was done based on the fact that he was pre-qualified since 2010. This means that in 2010, Ramroop’s New GPC would have been selected to supply drugs to Government without having to go to public tender until that prequalification status expires. Between the Ministry of Health and GPHC, the government spent just over $4B in drug purchases last year.

AFC councillor details widespread corruption within party

WEDNESDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2013 15:38 ADMINISTRATOR

Canadian Govt. sees need to fight

corruption in Guyana

The Canadian Government hopes for a reduction in the levels of corruption in Guyana and is looking for a more active public debate on issues of corruption resulting from increased awareness.

Nicole Giles, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana

The Canadian Government feels that there is a broad consensus in Guyana on the need to fight corruption.
This is according to Nicole Giles, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, who said, “One of the best ways to fight corruption is to shed light upon it…by shedding light on the issue of corruption, and the role that everyone can play in fighting it”.
High Commissioner Giles was at the time responding to queries of the High Commission’s involvement with Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI) in the erection of two billboards advising “You can Stop Corruption”.
One of the billboards is installed at the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the other at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) on Camp Road.
She said that the Canadian Government is hoping to encourage a more proactive attitude as well as a sense of civic responsibility. “The message ‘You can stop Corruption’ reminds people that their actions have an impact on the rest of society and, hopefully, serves as a reminder that corruption is neither inevitable nor insurmountable”, she said.
According to the High Commissioner, this initiative was funded by Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), which provides resources to support local needs and interests.  The CFLI is intended to address a broad range of issues, including the advancement of democratic principles, she added.
Giles said that CFLI projects are made by the Canadian High Commission or Embassy in each country where Canada is making funds available.
The Canadian Government supports Transparency International, which is active in over 100 countries and is the parent body of TIGI. Transparency International works to increase awareness and reduce corruption, to improve standards of governance, and to strengthen transparency.
“Transparency International and its affiliates work to improve public awareness and pressure for action through publications and media and public affairs campaigns, including through billboards campaigns such as the current campaign in Guyana,” she said.
President of TIGI, Anand Goolsarran, recently said that with the Guyana Government showing no tangible evidence of wanting to fight corruption, Guyana is likely to be rated very low once again on the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
He suspects that Guyana would not improve from its current rating of second from bottom in the Western Hemisphere or Americas. And, if Guyana makes any improvements it would be marginal because the country continues to lack anti-corruption mechanisms such as the Public Procurement Commission, the Integrity Commission, and an Ombudsman.
According to the High Commissioner, “The World Economic forum reports that corruption is widely recognized as a major obstacle to the stability, growth and competitiveness of economies. As such, the fight against corruption is strategically crucial for the success of businesses and promoting prosperity. The Government of Canada supports these findings”.
The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, though it did not list corruption as one of the 20 barriers to competitiveness in Guyana, highlighted the need for the urgent establishment of the Public Procurement Commission, which the TIGI and Opposition Parties have been calling for.
According to Giles, in June, at the G8 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, emphasized that “Corruption is wrong. It starves the poor, it poisons the system, it saps the faith of people in progress. it wrecks the case for aid. When we see it we should condemn it utterly.”
She noted that Canada is proud of its role as a global partner in fighting corruption both at home and abroad.
Giles stressed, “Corruption is a threat to everyone’s well being – from the people who participate in it, to the people who see it happening around them.  The perception of corruption puts a strain on public confidence and breeds cynicism and civic discontent. No society can afford not to safeguard against the threat of corruption.”
According to Giles, transparency and the fight against corruption are pertinent to economic growth for all countries. “A transparent and open business environment enables open economies and open societies. This environment in turn promotes security and stability both of which are critical components in encouraging investment,” she said.

The Canadian Government needs to understand that the PPP/C Govt is the corrupted entity, how can the poor people of Guyana fight the Government, they can only not go out and vote for them comes election time. But the scared to call elections

The Canadian Govt, the United States Govt, and the British Govt needs to pressure the Guyana Govt. Corruptions are abounds all over in Guyana.

Guyana Government indifferent to

Corruption – US State Department

Government’s apparent ineffectiveness in implementing laws that provide for criminal penalties for corruption by public officials has been highlighted by the United States of America 2012 Human Rights Report.
The report, which was released over the weekend, stated that there remains widespread public perception of corruption involving officials at all levels, including the police and the judiciary.
“The World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators assessed that government corruption was a serious problem,” the report said.
The Guyana Police Force bore the brunt of the report’s assessment, which pointed to allegations of police officers being connected to the drug underworld.
In October 2011 the Guyana Police Force’s Crime Chief submitted a report to the Minister of Home Affairs regarding allegations by a senior officer that many officers had connections to drug dealers.
According to the report, the Minister considered it but has so far taken no action.
In fact, one of the officers against whom the allegations were made is still driving a BMW that reportedly belongs to an alleged drug dealer.
Meanwhile, the report zeroed in on the fact that public officials are subject to financial disclosure laws and are required to submit information about personal assets to the Integrity Commission.
However, although the Prime Minister had stated in June last year that members would soon be appointed to this Commission, it is still not up and running.
On June 14 last year, the National Assembly approved a government motion that members submit annual declarations in keeping with provisions of the Integrity Act, but compliance was uneven, and the Commission had no resources for enforcement or investigations.
The Act sets out both criminal and administrative sanctions for nondisclosure.
If a person fails to file a declaration, the fact can be published in the daily newspapers and the Official Gazette.
Failure to comply with the law can lead to a summary conviction, fines, and imprisonment for six to 12 months.
If property was not disclosed as it should have been, the Magistrate convicting the defendant will order the defendant to make a full disclosure within a set time frame.
The report said that no such publication or convictions have occurred.
When it comes to the Office of the Auditor General, the report was uncomplimentary.
The Office of the Auditor General scrutinizes the expenditure of public funds on behalf of Parliament and conducts financial audits of all publicly funded entities, including donor-funded entities, local government agencies and trade unions and reports to the National Assembly.
However, the US human rights report stated that the effectiveness of the office remained limited since the government may or may not act on the discrepancies noted in its reports.
“Observers noted that recurring discrepancies were repeatedly highlighted in the reports without officials taking appropriate follow-up actions to investigate and resolve the discrepancies,” the report highlighted.
The 2001 constitution called for the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to monitor public procurement and ensure that authorities conduct the procurement of goods and services in a fair, transparent, competitive and cost-effective manner.
However, the government never constituted the PPC despite public criticism of the present system’s ineffectiveness in awarding government contracts in an equitable and transparent manner.
The report stated that under pressure from opposition parties in parliament, the government promised to establish the PPC by June last year, but this has not yet materialized.
A 2011 Access to Information Act, intended to promote transparency and accountability within the government and public institutions, provided for persons to secure access to information under the control of public authorities and for the appointment of a Commissioner of Information.
Again the US human rights report highlighted that so far the government had not issued implementing regulations or appointed a Commissioner.

Guyana most corrupt country in

English-speaking Caribbean

-watchdog body calls for Procurement Commission, new Integrity Commission,

“When desperately needed development funds are stolen by corrupt individuals and institutions, poor and vulnerable people are robbed of the education, health care and other essential services.”- UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon

Four days before the world observes the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day, new rankings have placed Guyana as the most corrupt country in English-speaking Caribbean countries.
According to rankings released yesterday by watchdog corruption body, Transparency International (TI), the 2012 Annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has placed Guyana at a lowly 133 out of total of 174 countries. Guyana managed a miserly 28 points out of 100.
And in the presentation of the Transparency International findings, head of the local chapter, Attorney at Law, Gino Persaud, and Secretary Frederick Collins, both lauded Kaieteur News which has been highlighting corruption in Guyana.
The newspaper has been investigating the various contracts issued under questionable circumstances and examining the numerous projects, many of which were believed to be overpriced.

TIGI officials: From left is Vice-President, Dr. Anand Goolsarran; President, Gino Persaud and Director, Frederick Collins.

The results were released by Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI), the local contact of TI.
TI would have conducted its surveys gauging perceptions to corruption by examining relations in the public sector, the local police, Customs, procurement and doing business.
The index has become a signature tool widely used around the globe to measure the perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries and looked at keenly by investors and multilateral lending agencies.
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tie for first place with scores of 90, helped by strong access to information systems and rules governing the behaviour of those in public positions.
Guyana tied Comoros, Honduras, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Russia.
“This ranking places us at the bottom of the English Speaking Caribbean with only Haiti below us at 165. It is noteworthy that in the Caribbean, Barbados ranks at 15 with a score of 76; both St. Lucia and Bahamas rank at 22 with a score of 71 and St. Vincent and the Grenadines rank at 36 with a score of 62,” TIG’s President, Gino Persaud said during a press conference at the offices of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) on Waterloo Street.
Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia once again cling to the bottom rung of the index. In these countries, the lack of accountable leadership and effective public institutions underscore the need to take a much stronger stance against corruption.
At the press conference also were former Auditor General, Dr. Anand Goolsarran, who is TIGI’s Vice President; and Director, Frederick Collins.
Persaud, a lawyer, said that the advocacy body will be writing government on the findings of the index.

Integrity Commission…
TIGI listed a number of measures that Government will have to implement to raise Guyana’s rankings. These include the appointment of competent and independent members of the Integrity Commission to scrutinize the financial disclosures of politicians and bureaucrats and with adequate staff and resources to ensure the Commission can adequately fulfill its mandate.
Persaud noted that Prime Minister Sam Hinds in June had promised to have new members of the Integrity Commission sworn within a week.
Among other things TIGI is also calling for the urgent appointment of members of the Public Procurement Commission to regulate government contracts and minimize their involvement; the implementation of modern anti-corruption legislation; implementation of whistle-blowing legislation; the enforcement of existing anti-corruption laws by investigating and prosecuting the corrupt and the strengthening of existing anti-corruption institutions such as the Guyana Police Force and the Financial Intelligence established under the money laundering legislation.
“These institutions are weak and unable to counter serious white collar crime and corrupt activities,” Persaud said in his read statement.
Guyana should also appoint an Ombudsman to address grievances from members of the public; ensure that all public monies are placed to the credit of the Consolidated Fund, and no public expenditure must be incurred without Parliamentary approval.
TIGI also called for all appointments to public offices to be advertised and made with due regard to technical competence, and not loyalty; and for the Access to Information Act passed in Parliament to be strengthened and made operational.
TIGI also called for the strengthening of civil society and for organisations such as the Guyana Bar Association, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Private Sector Commission, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and the Guyana Press Association to become more involved in combating corruption by speaking out against corruption and being proactive within its own membership on tackling corruption and by partnering with us for collective efforts.
“We call on the press corps to be more vigilant in acting as a professional, impartial and responsible watchdog body against corruption.”

Corruption exists
According to Goolsarran, most countries are doing everything possible to “get to the top of the table” of rankings. He urged, as a start, that government accept the index in good faith and do something about it.
The officials drew reference to a judge in Brazil who targeted a number of politicians close to former President Lula and who was the laughing stock of many. The politicians were brought to trial.
Asked to comment on the impact of the findings, Dr Goolsarran said that serious investors use the findings by Transparency International to determine whether they would invest in a country. Many have opted to cancel plans for investment in Guyana.
TIGI is seeking funding now to educate Guyanese and will seek to meet with government and Members of the Parliament to discuss the issue which ultimately affects the way Guyana is perceived.
The TIGI officials refused to be drawn into answering questions whether President Donald Ramotar had done enough to tackle corruption in Guyana.
According to Collins, newspaper reporters and even the Auditor General’s annual report have been indicators of the situation of corruption in Guyana.
TIGI also disclosed that it has been asked by the Minister of Natural Resources to work with his Ministry on mining, an area which has been besotted with issues of corruption and lawlessness in recent years.
According to TIGI, the index demonstrates that corruption continues to ravage societies around the globe. Two-thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index score below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean), showing that public institutions need to be more transparent, and powerful officials held more accountable.
According to Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International, “Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all public decision-making. Priorities include better rules on lobbying and political financing, making public spending and contracting more transparent and making public bodies more accountable to people. After a year of focus on corruption, we expect governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power.”
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon has said that corruption afflicts all countries, undermining social progress and breeding inequality and injustice.
“When desperately needed development funds are stolen by corrupt individuals and institutions, poor and vulnerable people are robbed of the education, health care and other essential services. All of us have a responsibility to take action against the cancer of corruption.”
The private sector, too, stands to gain enormously from effective action, he said. “Corruption distorts markets, increases costs for companies and ultimately punishes consumers.”
According to the BBC, corruption was the world’s most talked about issue in 2010 and 2011.

AFC councillor details widespread corruption within party

WEDNESDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2013 15:38 ADMINISTRATOR

Drugs purchase Libel case…US judge

tells New GPC …‘Kaieteur News never

libeled you’

-    Publications were in public interest, not mere gossip

In a huge slap to New GPC in its libel cases filed against Kaieteur News Inc. (Publishers of Kaieteur News’ New York Edition), a Supreme Court Judge in Manhattan, New York, Justice Joan Kenney, ruled that the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (New GPC) never established that it was libeled.

Corruption, Lack of Transparency in

Guyana Government-US Report