The Week-in-Review - December 15th to December 21st
Oil & Gas
Oil production begins: ExxonMobil on Friday night announced the start of oil production from the Liza field, offshore Guyana ahead of schedule and less than five years after the first find of hydrocarbons. It said that this was well ahead of the industry average for deepwater developments. Minutes before Exxon’s announcement, President David Granger delivered an address to the Nation heralding the start of oil production and assuring that petroleum revenues would be prudently managed. In a statement, the company said that production from the first phase of the Liza field, located in the Stabroek Block, is expected to reach full capacity of 120,000 barrels of oil per day in coming months, and the first cargo is set to be sold within several weeks. “This historic milestone to start oil production safely and on schedule demonstrates ExxonMobil’s commitment to quality and leadership in project execution,” said Darren Woods, chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil Corporation. “We are proud of our work with the Guyanese people and government to realize our shared long-term vision of responsible resource development that maximizes benefits for all.” The Liza Phase 1 development project features the Liza Destiny floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel moored 190 kilometers offshore Guyana, and four subsea drill centres supporting 17 wells.
Energy Dep’t defends plan for sale of first three oil cargoes - Under growing criticism over a previously unannounced sale of Guyana’s first three cargoes of oil from ExxonMobil’s Liza-1 field, the Department of Energy (DE) last Sunday defended its plan, saying that the interim arrangement was approved as the full extent of the quality of the crude is still unknown and it wants to set a benchmark to guard against any possible down-pricing in future sales. “This strategy was employed upon serious consideration of advice given by an international team external to the [DE],” a statement from the Department said. “The logic is that given Guyana’s inexperience and the impending early date of the first lifts, an introduction phase of the grade was more advantageous to Guyana at this time,” it added, while explaining that its advisory team consisted of a Crude Marketing Specialist, a Commercial Specialist and an external Legal Adviser, among others. The DE said that the second phase of oil sales will involve a public request for proposals. At a later press conference Dr. Bynoe again maintained that no law was broken and that the department had planned to conclude the process now underway before going public in order to protect government’s negotiating position. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday warned that if his party returns to government it will exclude the company which concludes an agreement with the current administration to buy Guyana’s first oil from “any and all open tenders”.
Fatal accident
Five die after Mahaicony collision: Five persons died after a fatal accident at Mahaicony around midday last Wednesday when a Route 50 (Georgetown to Rosignol) minibus collided with a truck after a tyre blowout. The deceased are: Alana Vaughan, who was pregnant; Seecharran Chandilalall, the driver of the minibus; Ewart Reynolds, Disreal Montgomery Maxwell Thom, 76, and Keon Sealey, a nurse at the Mahaicony Hospital. Four persons were seriously injured, including a teenager, Angela Jacobs, who lost one of her hands. Traffic Chief Linden Isles said information so far revealed that the accident occurred after the minibus collided with a Banks DIH truck laden with beverages.
Elections
Former top elections officials from India, Ghana to arrive in January - The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) last Wednesday announced that former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi and former Chairman of the Ghana Electoral Commission Kwadwo Afari-Gyan will from next month be observing its preparations for and conduct of the March 2nd, 2020 general and regional elections. “These two gentlemen will be here from early January… those persons would be advisors to me and the Commission, as a whole, and they will also oversee the elections,” Chairperson of GECOM, Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh told a press conference. The two men will form the Commonwealth’s observer team, which GECOM has said is just one of many as this country has approved the applications of several international organisations to observe the elections. Technical support is also being provided to the Commission by the United States through the International Republican Institute (IRI) and Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield said that they will help to develop a Civic and Voter Education package.
GECOM begins verification of first-time registrants - Up to Friday, GECOM had managed a little more than 4,000 visits in its attempts to verify the new registrants from the national House to House (HtH) registration exercise and confirmed around 2,000 as the other persons were not at home or could not be found. While most Guyanese took to the streets for Christmas shopping, GECOM staff accompanied by scrutineers from the two parliamentary parties visited homes as part of a four-day field verification exercise. Beginning on Thursday and ending yesterday, the 16,300 supposedly new registrants recorded during the truncated national house-to-house registration exercise were to receive visits to verify that they are indeed first-time registrants.
Fourteen new parties apply for symbols to contest 2020 polls - GECOM has received applications from 14 new political parties for symbols with which they hope to contest the upcoming general and regional elections. According to GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward, a total of 19 political parties applied before the December 13th deadline, including 14 new ones. The governing coalition APNU+AFC and the parliamentary opposition PPP/C have formally applied to retain their symbols as have Gerald Pereira’s Organisation for the Victory of the People and Vishnu Bandhu’s United Republican Party. At least four parties which contested in 2015 have not applied. Those are the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party (HTNTP), the Independent Party led by Mark Benschop, the National Independence Party (NIP) led by attorney Saphier Hussain and The United Force (TUF).
In the courts
Cops charged with kidnap, wounding of teen after internal probe - Two brothers, who are serving members of the Guyana Police Force, were on Friday jointly charged with abducting and wounding a 17-year-old, whom they are accused of torturing at their La Parfaite Harmonie home. Isaiah Bernard, a 26-year-old police constable attached to the Wales Police Station and Daniel Bernard, a 24-year-old police constable attached to the Tactical Services Unit, both of Lot 1092 Thirty-Eight Street La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara appeared before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court and were read two charges, after which they were granted bail in the amount of $400,000 each. The first charge alleges that on December 16th, 2019, at Schoonord, West Bank Demerara, they abducted Akshay Budhiram with intent to wrongfully confine him. It was further alleged that on the same date and at the same time the brothers unlawfully and maliciously wounded Budhiram with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm. They denied both charges. He told the court that on the date mentioned around 11:30 am, Budhiram was at a Super Bet outlet when the duo along with six others approached him and started beating him with a baseball bat and a crowbar. The brothers then accused him of breaking and entering their home after which they handcuffed him and forced him into a car and took him to a location where they threw a hot substance on him, causing injuries. Budhiram later managed to escape and reported the matter to La Parfaite Harmonie police station.
Magistrate recuses himself from hearing Marcus Bisram case - Magistrate Alex Moore has recused himself from hearing the case against Marcus Bisram, who is accused of directing the murder of a Corentyne carpenter, in wake of a petition being sent to the Chancellor of the Judiciary accusing him of showing favour to the defence during a hearing. Before his announcement of the decision, which was made during a hearing at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court yesterday, state prosecutor Stacy Goodings indicated that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had written to acting Chancellor Yonette Cummings-Edwards requesting that the magistrate recuse himself. As a result, Goodings noted that they would be seeking an adjournment until the Chancellor had the opportunity to address the request. However, Moore subsequently disclosed that the Chancellor had forwarded him a letter of complaint and asked for him to respond, which he did and hand delivered. He said it was then that the Chancellor requested that he recuse himself from the matter.
CJ dismisses application by Berbice Bridge company to quash minister’s toll order- Acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, last Wednesday dismissed an application by the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) to quash a Toll Order by the Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson which prevented it from implementing planned increases. The Chief Justice, in dismissing the application, also ruled that the action by Patterson did not amount to a takeover of the bridge, as was claimed by the company in its application. In 2018, the company announced plans to implement massive toll increases, which were to take effect from November 12th, 2018. Patterson, however, referred to the planned increases as unconscionable, and caused to be issued a Toll Order by which he froze the toll fares of the BBCI. BBCI, as a result, filed an application in 2018 claiming that Patterson is not required by law to approve toll increases, has no lawful authority to prevent the company from moving ahead with its planned increases, and asked for his action to be quashed.
Judge orders Gaming Authority to process Sleepin application for casino operator’s licence - Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln last Tuesday ordered the Gaming Authority to consider, process, and determine an application for a casino operator’s licence made by Sleepin International Hotel and Casino Inc. by or before the 28th February 2019. The decision, a victory for Sleepin, which had applied for the licence since 2017, follows an application for an order of mandamus, also known as a compelling order, to compel the Authority to consider the hotel’s application after what it says is an unreasonable, inordinate delay of about one and half years in processing its application.
Court of Appeal denies Nandlall application in law books case - The Guyana Court of Appeal (CoA) last Wednesday dismissed an appeal by former Attorney-General Anil Nandlall in a challenge to the charge against him over the alleged fraudulent conversion of law reports. The CoA found that acting Chief Justice Roxane George SC, was justified in refusing to interfere with the decision by Magistrate Fabayo Azore on November 23rd, 2018, to overrule a no-case submission made on his behalf. This decision clears the way for Nandlall’s trial to continue in the magistrates’ court, although it may be some time before it does, as Nandlall yesterday signalled his intention to appeal the decision to the Caribbean Court of Justice.
Also in the news
DJ apologises for remarks on Hinduism - Following an investigation by the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), local Christian Disc Jockey (DJ) Kester Deane has apologised for suggesting that Hinduism was in some way responsible for the recent social issues plaguing the country. In a post on his Facebook page following the horrific fatal accident at Fairfield, Mahaicony, Deane highlighted several jhandi flags in a yard close to the accident site and declared that “the people have been offered up as sacrifices in this country” According to Deane the “road carnage, fires,
airplane crashes, suicides, school bullying, river mishaps, domestic violence, robberies and murders” are not normal and the Church should wake up and take back the country. The post was immediately condemned by numerous persons on social media who declared that Deane’s words were religiously insensitive and disrespectful. Chairman of the ERC, Reverend John Smith, in a video message released on Thursday explained that due to the popularity of the post the commission became cognisant of the damage it could cause and called on Deane to appear before its investigative unit. Deane in turn offered an apology to “all the peoples of Guyana” that he may have offended by the post.