Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has mounted a stout defence of the government’s planned State Assets Recovery Bill, arguing that the civil retrieval envisaged is an action against property, not the person, and does not include a penal sanction.
Speaking on Saturday at Transparency Institute Guyana Inc’s (TIGI) annual fund-raising dinner at the Pegasus Hotel, Ramjattan also emphasised the important role of civil society and the media in ensuring good governance.
Citing the state assets bill as part of the country’s obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, Ramjattan said that whistleblower and witness protection bills are also currently with Cabinet.
Noting the controversy that has sprung up around the bill with the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Human Rights Association and analyst Christopher Ram expressing grave reservations, Ramjattan said there have been major “misconceptions and misapprehensions” about the bill.
