THE embroiled former Public Service Minister of the former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government. Dr Jennifer Westford. was sworn in yesterday as an Opposition Member of Parliament, even though she has been named in a $600M police investigation. When asked whether the PPP feels pressured to remove Westford considering the charges and allegations against her, newly appointed Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo told this reporter that based on the investigations, the party will consider the issue more extensively.
Jagdeo is convinced that charges against Westford, and even those against himself and former Health Minister Dr Bheri Ramsarran, are as a result of a political witch-hunt. He said too that while in normal circumstances party officials would step down if there are proceedings against them, these proceedings are not within “normal situations.”
“We believe in normal situations where there is no witch-hunt and a sinister plan to prove corruption… that is how people should act; but this is not a normal situation,” Jagdeo said.
The Opposition Leader added that in relation to charges against Westford, the party has been approached to deal with the issue but will only move forward when the police investigations reveal further information.
Jagdeo was also convinced that members of his party have been subject to a “trial by media” since investigators have a tendency of releasing information before those investigations were concluded. This, he said, guides the public perception against persons involved in the issues even before official investigations have been completed.
The former minister, along with Personnel Officer at the Public Service Ministry, Margaret Cummings, appeared in late July of this year before City Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to charges laid against them.
The former minister answered to four counts of attempt to commit a felony, one of which said that between July 17, 2014, and June 23, 2015, at the Public Service Ministry in Georgetown, she attempted to have motor vehicles PJJ 8113 and PKK 2175 transferred to the name of Wayne Walker, although those vehicles belonged to the Government of Guyana.
Another charge stated that during the same period, at the Public Service Ministry, in an attempt to commit larceny, Westford also sought to transfer motor vehicle PFF 1780 to the name of Delroy Lewis, being the property of the Government of Guyana.
The third charge was that Westford, during the same period at the Public Service Ministry, attempted to commit larceny as she sought to transfer motor vehicle PJJ 3444 to her name.
She further denied that between July 17, 2014 and June 23, 2015, at the Public Service Ministry, she also attempted to commit larceny in seeking to transfer motor vehicles PKK 6400, PEE 8783 and PJJ 6675 to the name of Gary Beaton.
Westford was placed on $200,000 bail for each of the charges against her.
The Opposition MP was also fingered in the disappearance of $400M supposedly disbursed into her safekeeping from the then Office of the President for work to be done by her Ministry. This money later rose to $600M, as confirmed to this publication by a police source earlier this month.
Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, when contacted by this publication some time ago, did not confirm the $600M figure; however, he acknowledged that the police are in receipt of additional vouchers which cause an increase in the unaccounted sums of money.