Jagdeo heaps scorn on Patterson’s US$9,000 explanation

David Patterson
David Patterson

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday express-ed dissatisfaction with the explanation given by Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson about the US$9000 reimbursement into his private account for a 2017 China trip and questioned why the money was not handed directly to the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD).

During a press conference held yesterday Jagdeo admitted that people have been leaking information to the party

The former president said that he knows if cabinet approves a trip it is paid for by the Ministry of Finance. “Why go to MARAD?” he questioned before asking why MARAD was not reimbursed directly.

The minister in a Facepost said that in April 2016, via the Chinese Embassy in Guyana an invitation was extended to him to attend and make a presentation at the 7th International Investment and Construction Forum in Macao, China. A copy of the invitation was attached to the post. “The organizers committed to reimburse travel related expenses up to US$10,000. Cabinet permission was sought and received. The advance for the trip was paid by MARAD (Maritime Administration Department),” he said.

According to Patterson, he attended the conference, and sometime in 2017, a refund for his travels was processed and paid to him as the attendee. He said that he promptly remitted the money to MARAD. “This is not an unusual practice with regard to reimbursements for international travel,” he stressed.

The post was in response to a post made by the PPP last Thursday which said “In February of 2017, US$9000 was deposited by China International Con-tractors into the personal bank account of Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson.”

Jagdeo yesterday pointed out that MARAD has a bank account and as such this information should have been given so that the reimbursement was direct.

“How did the Association get his personal bank account details? Obviously the minister had to give them his personal bank account details to deposit the money in,” he said.

Noting that the money was reimbursed eight months after it was expended, he said how it was reimbursed is still unclear. He said that no copy of a cheque has been made public. “Did he encash it, draw out the cash and put it in a bag and went over to MARAD and give it back,” he asked, before adding that there are a lot of questions that the party has to get answers to.

Patterson had raised concern about the party gaining access to his bank information. Responding to this, Jagdeo said that people provided the information.

“We have had a deluge of information since we made it public,” he said, adding that as the information comes in “we will keep exposing this.”

“What is deeply worrying is that the fact that the PPP has illegally sought and obtained access to my personal financial details from a bank used by me or an agency that receives such information,” Patterson said in his post, adding that he has instructed his lawyers to take the necessary legal actions against any offending party.

The Opposition Leader said that the party is seeing a pattern of behaviour involving the minister and his ministry. He said that charges are yet to be laid in connection with the SOCU investigation into a consultancy for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge.

According to Jagdeo, the party has also received complaints concerning the Lethem to Linden road and the East Berbice road.