With allegations of procurement violations and corruption against party executive and Guyana Oil Company Board member Akanni Blair, A New and United Guyana (ANUG) yesterday called for a thorough probe saying it will send a message that not only will graft not be tolerated but no one was exempted from accountability.
“We welcome the statement by His Excellency the President and by the Minister of Finance that all allegations of corruption will be investigated fully and an inquiry conducted by the Auditor General,” ANUG said in a statement.
The statement said that the party also noted allegations by Aaron’s Royality Inc. (ARI), which asserts that it is in possession of video and audio recordings as evidence to prove the allegations made. “We urge the authorities to interface with ARI promptly in the course of their investigations to access these recordings. A thorough and open investigation will send a message that corruption with impunity should no longer be tolerated, whoever may be found to have been involved,” it added.
Meanwhile, the vessel which was said to be carrying ARI’s fuel for GUYOIL is said to be in the custody of the GDF coast guard. The vessel reportedly loaded the fuel in Venezuela.
Last Tuesday, ARI’s principal, Jayson Aaron, claimed that the company has been left with a large quantity of fuel on hand after commitments were made by company officials that GUYOIL would buy it. He claims that he has evidence of the commitments by officials of the company who also tried to solicit kickbacks in return.
On the same day, GUYOIL General Manager Trevor Bassoo notified that he had resigned. The next day, he told this newspaper that it was not he who entered into any agreement with ARI, and he was only made aware of the matter when ARI complained of non-payment. Bassoo, who has welcomed an investigation into the matter, has also said that it was he who alerted the board regarding the issue. He has said his immediate resignation is unrelated to the situation.
Minister with responsibility for finance, Dr Ashni Singh, who has requested that the Auditor General investigate the alleged irregularities at the entity, yesterday reiterated that if any wrongdoing is found, action will be taken. “We have absolutely no tolerance in this government for any corrupt practices…we would be guided by the results of the Auditor General. I assure you that we will take combined action against any parties, who might have been, in the event of any inappropriate practices being identified,” he said.
Auditor General Deodat Sharma on Friday said that his office has received the Minister’s request and it is currently planning how the exercise will be executed as it follows a process where documents and other material have to be requested.
GUYOIL will have to show who eventually got the contract when the agreement was entered into and the sums paid for the fuel. It would also have to explain how the company chosen was selected and what process was used.
ANUG said that it has met with Blair and he has made a statement to the media, which has been published by the press.
Blair says that it was he who notified the Chairman of the Board Paul Cheong that he learned from ARI that two other company officials were negotiating the supply of fuel; contradicting what Bassoo had said.
He has said that the Cheong also gave him permission to source a fuel supplier. “I said to you that at a full board meeting, that the Chairman asked me to… even though the board had no objections”, he said.
Sources close to the company have told Stabroek News that the minutes for the March 26th GUYOIL board meeting do not reflect the directive to Blair by the board to seek out an oil company. The sources told Stabroek News that it was Blair himself who raised the approach by a Trinidadian oil company and he was told to refer the matter to the Chief Finance Officer.
Questions have been raised as to how GUYOIL officials could even be in contact with ARI when there would be any number of other suppliers that they had long done business with. Moreover, there was also the prospect of sourcing an emergency shipment from one of the other oil companies based here.
