Transfers of over $20M to the son and daughter of Minister Simona Broomes by the Ministry of the Presidency demands an investigation by Guyana’s Audit Office, according to Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.
During his weekly news conference on Thursday (May 30, 2019), he disclosed that the information provided by a whistleblower is cause for concern, relative to the use of taxpayers’ monies.
The information from the whistleblower states that there were, in 2018, two transfers of US$25,000 each to the daughter of Minister Broomes, the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency. In 2019, there was another transfer to Broomes’ daughter worth US$36,450 – again by the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency. Broomes’ son, in 2019, benefited from a fourth transfer of GYD $2.51M from the same Department.
The total sum transferred amounted to over $20M.
Jagdeo charged that Broomes has to come clean on this matter. He said, “If this information is wrong I will apologize…the Minister and the Ministry of the Presidency need to answer.”
The Opposition Leader stressed too that the issue is about transparency and accountability, not about the children of a government minister. “We have a duty to expose forms of corruption…we don’t have an issue with people’s children in politics…people’s children must be kept out of the cut and thrust of politics…we have nothing against the children of politicians…but we have a duty to expose misconduct,” he said.
The APNU+AFC Coalition Government remains silent on this matter.