This column has been following closely the deliberations of the just concluded symposium at the Guyana Pegasus on “Public Corruption and the Oil Curse”. There was a statement that Guyana lacks the capacity to deal with an expected huge influx of invoices from ExxonMobil in the run-up to 2020 when production is set to begin, followed by the suggestion that the Government hire accountants who have experience in the oil and gas industry. While it appears appropriate to do so as a short-term measure, we must not lose sight of the fact that these accountants have been exposed to the systems and procedures of oil and gas companies that best serve the interest of those companies, as opposed to that of the countries in which the companies operate.
