Three important appointments were recently announced, namely the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and members of the three-person Bid Protest Committee. In a previous article, I had raised concerns about the former Commissioner-General having received his retiring benefits and being allowed to 
remain on the job, in addition to divulging of confidential information about taxpayers’ affairs. The then Commissioner, in his customary fashion, reacted in a “letter to the editor” personally attacking me. GRA reportedly pulled up my tax file and sent its cameramen to video-tape my residence and to look for my car. The contention was that I had returned overseas and was therefore in breach of my remigrant’s status, whereas I was on an assignment with CARICOM that required my visit to Grenada, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago. I personally met with the Commissioner over the article, and in the course of discussion I pleaded with him to demit office but to no avail. What happened thereafter is now history.
I had written several articles on the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009 and the lack of effective functioning of the FIU. I also wrote extensively on the need to not only establish the Public Procurement Commission mandated by the constitutional amendment of 2001 but also to activate the relevant section of the Procurement Act 2003 to address complaints from suppliers and contractors in relation to the award of Government contracts.
