Dear Editor,
Reference is made to an article published in the September 25, 2012 edition of the Kaieteur News captioned ‘Three GRA Enforcement officials interdicted‘ in which that newspaper reported on information the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) dispersed to the media via a press release the previous day following the conclusion of preliminary investigations into bribery allegations made by a business person.
The GRA’s press release on September 24 was clear in noting that, “The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has suspended three officers for their alleged demanding of money from a taxpayer from whom they seized an ATV that was later discovered to have been subject to the fraudulent granting of partial remission of the taxes,” yet the newspaper in its September 25 edition states, “According to GRA officials, the three were all from the Enforcement Unit. They were identified by a businesswoman as allegedly being the officers who took hundreds of thousands dollars in bribes for helping her to acquire duty free letters on a number of ATVs.”
At no point in the GRA’s press release was it stated that the suspended officers (who were sent home to pave the way for GRA to conduct a more thorough inquiry into the matter) had been “identified by a businesswoman,“ to whom the newspaper keeps referring. In actuality, the officers were sent home following allegations that they demanded a bribe from a taxpayer from whom they seized the equipment. Following investigations, it was unearthed that the ATV was one of many granted to another person through fraudulent means. Additionally, it was later learnt that the person to whom the newspaper kept referring had sold the taxpayer the ATV. This is another fraudulent act since duty free equipment is not to be sold but is to be used by the person (s) to whom it is granted.
The GRA has noticed that the Kaieteur News seems to be biased against the entity in this case, and is using the GRA’s press releases to coyly provide support to a report submitted by a person caught in a web of forgery and fraud. The GRA has come to this conclusion because when other press releases of events to be undertaken by the GRA are sent to the newspaper, they are reported on accurately.
Yours faithfully,
Khurshid Sattaur
Commissioner-General
