PPP GS challenges AFC to present evidence of corruption allegations

The General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Bharrat Jagdeo has called on Alliance for Change (AFC) leader Nigel Hughes to provide concrete evidence to support his claims of corruption within the PPP/C government.

Jagdeo criticised Hughes for making broad accusations without presenting specific facts.

“Today we talk about tendering and what’s going on with the tenders not being evaluated properly…he (Nigel Hughes) did an interview and he said…that some of the contractors have to pay 30 per cent to people. Let him find the contractors and bring them – he’s a lawyer – and expose these people.  But, no. He speaks in generic terms,” Jagdeo said on Thursday during a news conference at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown.

Hughes, speaking on a radio program on Thursday morning, raised concerns about the level of corruption within the government, specifically within the contract tendering process.

“There’s a high level of corruption. Now, with corruption, the country loses twice, but first, if the contract is 100 million, then you got to pay 30% commission to whoever the government official is,” Hughes alleged.

Jagdeo, however, emphasised the need for evidence to back up such claims.

“Today they can come up with any number of issues, with no evidence,” he said, echoing a long-standing challenge for concrete proof.

Hughes’ accusations are reminiscent of claims made by the APNU+AFC Coalition prior to the 2015 General and Regional Elections, which included allegations of widespread corruption.

In its 2015 manifesto, the APNU+AFC Coalition Government cited figures from former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, who estimated that 28-35% of procurement spending, or approximately G$28 billion annually, was lost to corruption.

Jagdeo, in the past, had pointed out that these claims have never been substantiated.

“Please allow Goolsarran to explain how $28-$35B was stolen per year between 2010 and 2014 by procurement fraud… You’d have to say x project we lost a billion on…he has no details. Absolutely nothing. It’s a figment of his imagination,” Jagdeo said in a 2018 statement.

Despite several forensic audits carried out during the Coalition’s 2015-2020 tenure, which cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, no evidence emerged to substantiate the claims of massive corruption.