Extractive industry transparency group can’t pronounce on signing bonus, coordinator says

Dr. Rudy Jadoopat

National Coordinator of the Guyana Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (GY-EITI) Dr. Rudy Jadoopat says that while the body will not be making any statement on the controversial signing bonus that the government received from ExxonMobil, it is encouraging civil society to continue to watchdog the sector.

“I think everything is in the public domain already. We are not a public advocate like TIGI [Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc.] but we provide verifiable accurate information to the public,” Jadoopat told this newspaper last week, while pointing out that since the contract and other information have been made privy to the public, there is no need for a statement.

“We cannot pronounce on whether it is right or wrong because we are not a legal entity but we are glad that citizens are taking up the matter,” he added, while stating that he hopes the trend continues and citizens continue to pay the same amount of attention and focus to not only the incoming oil and gas industry but also the other industries in the extractive sector.

Jadoopat had said in December