Breach of banking privacy, a “new low” for opposition – Min. Patterson
By Paul Mc Adam
DPI, Guyana, Thursday, May 23, 2019
The move by the opposition which, “has sunk to a new low,” to leak confidential banking information indicates their desperation. This is according to Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on the sidelines of the 115th Sitting of the National Assembly.
The minister said whoever leaked the information did “ill-advised favour”.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson at the 115th Sitting of the National Assembly, of the 11th Parliament.
While he subsequently cleared the air on the issue, Minister Patterson indicated that he has instructed his legal team to take action via a lawsuit and, “pursue it to finality”. The opposition’s behaviour is not unexpected, he noted, and described it as “a new low.”
Via social media, Minister Patterson refuted claims being peddled by an opposition-oriented Facebook Page that $1.8M was deposited into the minister’s personal bank account.
Minister Patterson explained that in April 2016, he was invited to attend and make a presentation at the 7th International Investment and Construction Forum in Macao, China. According to him, the organisers of the event committed to reimburse travel-related expenses up to $2M.
The Public Infrastructure Minister disclosed that permission was sought from Cabinet and the arrangement was approved.
The minister also stated that the advance for the trip was paid by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and was subsequently refunded once deposited into his account by the sponsors.
“I attended the conference, and sometime in 2017, a refund for my travels was processed and paid to me as the attendee… I promptly remitted same to MARAD,” he noted.
Minister Patterson said it is not an unusual practice concerning reimbursements for international travel.
Image: Department of Public Information.