Now that President David Granger has disclosed that he made the decision to place the US$18M ExxonMobil signing bonus in a special account at the Bank of Guyana, the transaction should now be regularized, according to former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran.
In a statement yesterday to Stabroek News about Granger’s disclosure earlier in the day that he had made the decision for reasons of national security, (see other story on page 2), Goolsarran said that it was now time to move on and to pass the necessary legislation for an extra-budgetary fund.
After the legislation is passed, the US$18M can then be transferred to the Fund. The disclosure that the bonus was paid by ExxonMobil last year and placed in a central bank account as opposed to the Consolidated Fund has sparked criticism. Placing the money in an account outside of the Consolidated Fund is also a breach of Article 216 of the Constitution.
