Recent events review Saturday, July 14th to Friday July 20th
Saturday, July 14
House votes to empower BoG to bail out banks
The Bank of Guyana (BoG) will soon have the ability to grant temporary financial bailouts to commercial banks in order to protect depositors from losses similar to those incurred when the Globe Trust and Investment Company Limited (GTICL) collapsed in 2004. This will become possible with the enactment of the Bank of Guyana (Amendment) Bill, which was passed last evening by the National Assembly. Also passed by the House was the National Payment Systems Bill (NPSB), which will clear the way for a more structured use of electronic payment methods within the country. Additionally, the Deposit Insurance Bill, which like the other two was tabled by Finance Minister Winston Jordan, was also up for consideration last night and it too was expected to be passed. The proposed legislation is part of the efforts to modernise the local financial sector in line with recommendations from the 2016 Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) conducted by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While the bills received support from both sides of the House during their consideration, as did the Financial Institutions Amendment Bill (FIAB) which was passed on Thursday evening, the opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) voiced concern that together they make the BoG regulator, enforcer, monitor, big brother and competitor. PPP/C MP Juan Edghill began last evening’s lament during the consideration of the National Payment Systems Bill by arguing that Section 4 sets up the BoG as the regulator, supervisory authority and an operator or participant.
Grandson among two held over Rose Hall pensioner’s disappearance
Two relatives of a missing 75-year-old Rose Hall Town, Corentyne man were arrested on Wednesday in connection with his disappearance. Percival Johnson, also known as ‘Percy,’ of Lot 36 B Sir David Rose Street, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, went missing on April 13th, 2015. However, on Wednesday police took his grandson and his grandson’s wife into custody based on a report from another relative. Attempts to contact ‘B’ Division Commander Lyndon Alves for a comment were unsuccessful but a high ranking police source in the division confirmed that the two persons were in custody for questioning as part of the investigation. Another grandson, Terry Roopnarine, 26, told Stabroek News that his brother, who has been arrested, resided with his wife in the lower flat of his grandfather’s house, while his grandfather had resided in the upper flat. “Me grandfather take care of he but when he get big and, so, me grandfather use to ask he to pay bill and so he don’t want help the man and so,” Roopnarine said.
Stabroek vendors charged with $22M L. Seepersaud Maraj heist
Three Stabroek Market vendors were yesterday charged with breaking and entering the L. Seepersaud Maraj and Sons jewellery store and carting off $22 million in jewellery and cash and police said two of them have confessed to the crime, while their lawyers claim they were tortured. Clifford Rodney, 66, of 265 One Mile, Linden, Albert DeFreitas, 54, of 100 Leopold Street, Werk-enRust, and Trion Park, 31, of Lot 107 Eccles, East Bank Demerara, were read the joint charge in Georgetown by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who remanded them all to prison. It is alleged that Rodney, DeFreitas and Park, between July 2nd and July 3rd, at Stabroek Market, Georgetown, broke and entered the store and stole a quantity of gold and diamond jewellery, valued at $20 million, as well as $2 million in cash. The men were not required to enter a plea to the indictable charge.
Sunday, July 15
Jordan distances tender board from sole-sourcing of $367M in drugs
With questions raised over the sole-sourcing of almost $367 million in emergency drugs from a US-based company last year, Finance Minister Winston Jordan has distanced the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) from bearing responsibility for the deal, while saying that its approval is usually determined by the case put forward by the procuring entity. “If Ministry of [Public] Health or GPHC [Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation] comes to NPTAB and puts down as their reason ‘it is urgent, it is a do or die situation,’ NPTAB is not going to say, ‘no, go to open tender.’ That could take three or four months and be responsible for people dying and so on. The essence of this thing has to go back to procuring entity,” Jordan told Sunday Stabroek. “If there a loophole, the loophole has to be at the procuring agency. For drugs to be deemed emergency is not for NPTAB to determine, that it is [for] the procuring entity,” he added. The sole-sourcing of $366.9 million in emergency drugs has once again put decisions by the Ministry of Public Health under scrutiny as supplier HDM Labs Inc. was handpicked over three other companies that went through tendering and were declared to have failed the evaluation process.
Monday, July 16
Courtney Benn Contracting now owes $140M for work not done – Patterson
Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited (CBCSL) had signed an agreement with the APNU+AFC government to repay millions of dollars for works not done for the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), as was revealed in a 2014 Audit and now owes about $140M, Minister of Public Communications David Patterson says. “We were legally advised that they (CBCSL) could not work off the monies towards another contract because that would be a violation of the contract and of the laws so they have to actually repay,” Patterson told Stabroek News. “So actually, there is a system where they agreed to repay the money directly, they give a cheque in about $40 million installments and I believe they have left back about $140 million…” he added, while explaining that when the matter comes up during Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meetings it would be further explained. An audit report for 2014 of the DHBC revealed that CBCSL received large advances from the PPP/C government between 2008 and 2014 and some of the contracted jobs were not done.
Police deny attempt made to storm Rose Hall outpost
The Guyana Police Force yesterday said it is investigating a breach of the fence at the Rose Hall Town Outpost and Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan has rejected reports that it was an attempt by bandits to storm the building and steal weapons. “I don’t know where this rumour started… but it is absolutely nothing of the sort,” Ramjattan told Stabroek News yesterday, and cautioned reporters to avoid causing unnecessary panic. “It was absolutely nothing of the sort. I spoke to Paul Williams [Police Crime Chief] and he indicated nothing of the sort,” he added. Police Public Relations Officer, Jairam Ramlakhan in a statement issued approximately an hour after a story to this effect was posted by online news agency, Newsroom, said “The Administration of the Force wishes to indicate that (there was) no such attempt to storm the police station, save and except that a person or persons unknown cut a hole in the fence which was discovered by an armed policeman on duty. The insinuations are viewed as exceedingly and outrageously reckless and designed to create unnecessary discomfort,” the statement added. It further said that “the reporter should take caution not to contribute to an unnecessary state of affairs.”
Eight being questioned over murder of Liliahs
Eight persons are now being questioned and one has since admitted to playing a part in the murders of Pandit Deonarine Liliah, 61, and his son, Gopaul, who were found dead in their Craig Street, Campbellville home between Saturday and Monday last. Guyana Police Force Public Relations Officer Jairam Ramlakhan last night told Stabroek News that the first person who was arrested told investigators that he was in the vicinity of the crime scene. The man reportedly told investigators he and another individual went to the Liliahs’ home but he acted as a lookout. The other five persons were arrested over the weekend. Meanwhile, the second person who was arrested and detained has been released on station bail, Ramlakhan noted.
Tuesday, July 17
Part of $3.8B Guyana Stores tax debt paid – Statia
Guyana Stores Limited (GSL) has paid the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) “a few hundreds of millions,” Commissioner-General Godfrey Statia says and discussions are ongoing on how the remainder of its $3.8 billion tax debt will be paid. The debt is the result of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling against GSL’s constitutional challenge to the 2% minimum corporation tax applied by the GRA under the Fiscal Enactments (Amendment) Act. GSL was given two extensions to make its payments to the GRA since the March ruling and Statia confirmed yesterday that it was yet to make the full payment. However, he said that discussions are currently ongoing and he could only say at this point in time that the company has paid “a few hundreds of millions.” He said that they still have to engage them on the payments of the outstanding sum and they want to finish up the discussions by the end of this month. “We have to respond to a request from them and I can’t say what it is but they have made a proposal which is under active consideration. But in the meantime, they have paid some money,” he said.
Uncle confesses to strangling Anna Catherina man – Police
An Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara man was found strangled in his home early yesterday morning and police have said that an uncle has admitted to the crime. The dead man has been identified as Jason Rajendra Paul Hira, 30, of 78 Sixth Street, Anna Catherina. Hira, who shared the home with his grandparents and an uncle, was found lifeless by his grandmother in their washroom. In a press statement, the Guyana Police Force said, “investigators discovered marks of violence around the deceased’s neck.” An autopsy conducted yesterday morning, the statement added, revealed that he died from compression injuries to the neck. A subsequent statement said Hira’s uncle, Ganesh Persaud Lall, “late this evening (last evening) admitted to have strangled the victim.” The grandparents were initially questioned and later released. Jason Rajendra Paul Hira
The Customs AntiNarcotic Unit (CANU) is seeking the public’s help to find a Good Hope, East Coast Demerara man, who is wanted for questioning about the recent discovery of almost 325 pounds of cannabis and cocaine in a boat at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. CANU last evening issued a wanted bulletin for Farok Baksh, known as ‘Dive and Shoot,’ whose last known addresses are 91 Pump Road, Mon Repos, and 254 North Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. An alleged accomplice, Azim Baksh, called ‘Bato,’ of Lot 123 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, who was arrested, following the discovery, is expected to be charged today. He is scheduled to appear at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.