FOLLOWING talk circulating about the Guyana Power and Light’s interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Colin Welch’s qualifications being forged, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson has denied any knowledge about such an allegation.During a telephone interview with the Chronicle this week, the minister when asked about this said, “I do not know anything of that sort.”

The claims have arisen just three weeks after Welch was appointed as the interim CEO of GPL.
In speaking with this publication, Patterson denied having any knowledge of it, but made it clear that the new GPL Board of Directors will be appointed very soon, when Cabinet confirms the list of names submitted.
However, according to sources, the auditors working on GPL found some revelations while reviewing Welch’s university qualifications.
Welch, a deputy CEO in charge of operations for the state-owned company, was left as the top man after Bharat Dindyal was sent off in August. He was one of two deputies along with Ash Deonarine, the Deputy CEO for Administration.
Deonarine was sent on administrative leave after an audit found that he was instrumental in giving himself a $27.8M back pay.
Last month, Minister Patterson, questioned about an internal GPL probe ordered by Dindyal into a number of money claims made by Welch, said that is a matter for a GPL committee.
Welch clashed with his former CEO last month after he had visited the Sheriff Street office with a police rank and seized the office keys and company phones. He reportedly issued letters to Senior Loss Reduction Manager Loaknauth Singh and Senior Investigator David Kaladin, ordering the officials to proceed on administrative leave. Security was instructed not to allow the two managers back into the office.

Dindyal subsequently sought to revoke the order on the same day, leading to a heated exchange which was captured on video.

On August 14 last, Dindyal was sent home after the video made the rounds in the news and via social media. Dindyal was heard using profanities and referring to the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Patterson in a disparaging manner.

Dindyal had charged that Welch had no authority to send any staffer home and ordered that they return to work immediately.
A report made last December by then Board Chairman Winston Brassington spoke of a stormy relationship between the Board of Directors and management, especially the then CEO, Dindyal.
Welch initially defended his actions by purporting to be acting on instructions from Minister Patterson. However, asked about this claim, Patterson emphatically stressed that he gave no such instructions. GPL has been under the spotlight for its management of the coastal electricity supply for some time now.
Once faced with a shortage of generators, the company is now battling a high rate of electricity theft and technical losses. Its management of key projects and handling of billions of dollars have also been dogged by corruption accusations.

By Navendra Seoraj