Illegal contracts handed out by former ‘caretaker’ Gov’t up for review
DPI, Guyana, Friday, August 14, 2020
Vice President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Hon. Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government will be reviewing a host of contracts handed out by the former APNU+AFC Coalition Administration, while it existed in caretaker mode.
The Vice President was presenting details on the state of the country’s economy during a press conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) earlier today.
He said Guyanese can look forward to details on the examination of contracts from both the National and Regional Tender boards. The Vice President shared that he was appalled by the high number of contracts issued without any direct tendering or proper procurement.
“But we do not want to be partial. Investigations will take place and will have details. You will see to whom the contracts were given and who authorised these contracts. All of these will be available soon,” he relayed.
While the investigations will get underway, Dr. Jagdeo said they must be thorough, since the PPP/C Government does not want to be unfair to the technical persons who may not have had control over the issues.
The Vice President related that his Government had some “anecdotal evidence” about the suspected use of resources for purposes they are not intended. Investigations into that are currently ongoing.
“As the months unfold you will have the findings because we want to do a professional job to ensure that the people of Guyana understand the excesses that took place,” he told the press conference.
Investigations will also be carried out on the sale of state lands.
“We want to see who bought these lands, at what price and the procurement used. We have seen evidence of properties vested, large amounts of land vested in individuals and companies’ name without them paying the requisite fee or a small portion of the sale price.”
Dr. Jagdeo said the findings will be made available to the public soon.
End
[feature image] TTT_0005 – Vice President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Hon Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.