GLSC employs “zero- tolerance” to corruption

DPI, Guyana, Monday, December 9, 2019

The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission’s (GLSC) zero-tolerance approach to corruption came into effect earlier this year with the dismissal of three employees.

GLSC’s Human Resources Manager Shonda James-Williams said the cases saw staff members entering into agreements with clients, collecting monies in exchange for lands, which could not be delivered on time.

“When those cases came to us as a commission, we acted in relation to our policy,” she said.

The policy is a no-nonsense approach to any sort of corruption.

“We have our policy and we would normally keep meetings and issue memos. Corruption is something that we cannot stop, but as soon as we find it, we deal it,” Williams assured.

Apart from the three, James-Williams revealed that the service of another staff member was terminated for inflating prices for surveys.

The issues were brought to the fore through either audits or complaints from the client. In the case of the inflated survey price, that matter was revealed through an audit, she explained.

Asked about the involvement of the Guyana Police Force in these matters, James-Williams explained the clients refused to move forward in that direction, however many of them were reimbursed by the dismissed employees.

Commissioner Trevor Benn reminded that members of the public should never conduct financial transactions with any employee of the commission. He underscored that all transactions must be executed at the office, where a stamped receipt must be received.

Benn, who has been at the helm of the GLSC since 2016, said he has been employing every measure to transform the organisation which, before 2015, was heavily plagued by corruption.

To minimise incidences, the agency is moving even closer to fully digitize its operations.

“We are trying to make sure we are investing in a new wing to have a more modern vault that is secured our lease preparation we are working to make sure they are monitored by our legal section. Any lease being issued in the future must be sanctioned by the legal section,” he told the media.