– Local Government ministry says Sewchand was not ‘sacked’
THE Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development have accused sections of the private media for “vile attacks” on Mr. Sewchand on Thursday, June 17, on  the occasion of the appointment of  Mr. Nigel Dharamall, as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government  and Regional Development. A statement from the Ministry states that contrary to reports in the Guyana Times and Kaieteur News, Mr. Sewchand was not sacked from the position which he had held for three years.
The statement explains that the position of Permanent Secretary has been filled; and so, as is the public service norm, Mr. Sewchand reverts to his substantive post as Regional Development Officer. This was adequately explained by Dr. Roger Luncheon at a press briefing at which those media houses were represented, the statement pointed out.
Most disturbing, the statement continues, is the unfounded “allegation” that Mr. Sewchand was being “sacked” for being involved in a fraud in Region Four.  The statement said that the  matter referred to was investigated by the  Auditor General and at no time was the acting permanent secretary found to be culpable.
The statement stressed that it was Mr. Sewchand himself, who in his routine checks of the financial position of the 10 regions, found information that led him to suspect that there were breaches of standard procedures in Region Four. As stated in the release, he promptly reported the matter to the Minister of Local Government and the Auditor was subsequently called in.
The release went on to say that Sewchand, though suffering from these “scurrilous public attacks”, has remained true to the public service code of not making public statements and forgoes the temptation to engage these “gutter journalists”.
The statement went on to say that the media houses concerned, instead of acknowledging that this public officer has performed creditably in managing for three years the enormous local government sector, have indulged in “libel, unfounded allegations, innuendos, gossip and malicious lies”.