THE Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has said it is appalled at the way in which the Kaieteur News has deliberately misconstrued GRA’s response to justify the unwarranted attack the newspaper is perpetrating on the entity with regards to the issue of the alleged disappearance of the seized boat.
The GRA said in no way, form or fashion ever denied the fact that the boat that was under its watch had allegedly disappeared, however the Kaieteur News has taken snippets of the Revenue Authority’s response and wrapped it in their own opinion to create a twisted version of the issue. “In its June 26, 2010 edition the newspaper stated ‘GRA is expected to apprehend smugglers,’ in fact the Commissioner –General and his team prides themselves in doing so. It is because of the organization’s diligence in the first place that the boat was seized and the men in whose possession it was found were prosecuted. “While the GRA recognises that along with the wider society the Kaieteur News has to be civic-minded and report on corruption at all turns and in all forms, they must not do so with blinkers,” a GRA release said.
The Commissioner-General stated that equally to be blamed are the corruptors in society who through their machinations encourage our staff to be corrupt and engage in activities that not only tarnish the image of the organization, but that of the hardworking and dedicated officers who put their lives on the line to protect the revenues of the state.
The GRA said it does not expect incidence of corruption to be swept under the carpet since the organisation condemns such practices by staff as well as members of the public.
“It should be noted that whilst the Revenue Authority is doing its best to ensure its staff maintain their integrity, there are other elements within society who are working overtime in an effort to encourage corruption. These instigators of corruption are in the guise of ‘upstanding’ business owners who use every means possible, including bribery and other forms of inducement to defraud the Authority and evade taxes. They also seek to benefit from their engagement with various agencies and in the process malign them, much to the chagrin of the majority who are patriotic, dedicated and whose hard work and bravery goes without notice.”
“The Law Enforcement Officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority continue to go after elements in society who are determined to defraud the organization and by extension the country; this is done despite the constant threats to their well-being. These Officers have been going above and beyond the call of duty to safeguard the country’s revenue and as such the Guyana Revenue Authority makes no apologies for the praises that are given in light of their loyalty and commitment. Praising them is a form of acknowledgement of the work they are doing and it helps to boost morale and increase motivation.”
“The actions of the Kaieteur News are questionable since it serves to undermine the operations of the GRA. The newspaper needs to be more responsible when information is leaked. Their sources should be investigated and information authenticated before publication,” the GRA said
After a month of the alleged disappearance of the boat from the Boat House the GRA is forced to admit that it has since lost contact with its informant/s who would appear now to be circumspect about reporting matters of a sensitive and highly dangerous nature to the GRA for fear that such information may get into the public domain and reveal their identify. The GRA is, therefore, contemplating having the matter reported to the Office of the President as to how this information leaked to the Kaieteur News, as it is of the view that there is more to the Kaieteur News’ revelation of the disappearance and sensationalist reporting of the item for the sale of newspapers.
The GRA feels that this was a deliberate strategy employed by persons in collusion with the newspaper to jeopardize the investigation of the seizure of the boat in the first instance, for which only the persons found at the time in possession of the smuggled items and the boat were apprehended and successfully prosecuted but not the real criminals who would have employed these persons.
“The GRA has a duty to protect the state’s revenue and the newspapers should see it as their civic duty to help rather than hinder the process. The Guyana Revenue Authority wishes to inform the public that it is committed to its mandate of encouraging voluntary compliance and will use every measure necessary to put an end to the corrupt practices,” the release stated.