SENIOR staffers of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) are calling for a full investigation into the relationship between Deputy Chief Elections Officer Vishnu Persaud and TroyTec Video Production — a company that has, for several years, received the proverbial lion’s share of GECOM’s public and voter education contracts.

The company was registered in 2014, but has been receiving GECOM contracts since 2011. It is managed by Troy Christopher and operates out of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

The elections management body is currently embroiled in a procurement scandal that has ensnared a number of officers, including Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and is currently being audited by the state’s auditors.
Top officials at the elections management body have said they are hoping the commissioners would order an investigation into the DCEO’s relationship with TroyTec Video Productions, which dates back to when he was GECOM’s Public Relations Officer.

A senior staff member has said that Persaud virtually had hand-picked TroyTec Video Productions over several other reputable public relations companies, and had, from 2011 to present, handed it more than 95 per cent of the contracts to produce infomercials and related material for the general, regional and local government elections, as well as the continuous registration process.

However, the DCEO has continuously rejected the allegations of corruption levelled against him, and maintains that the selection of TroyTech Video Production was, over the years, done in a transparent manner.

Persaud told the Guyana Chronicle that persons within GECOM seem to be waging a vendetta against him, and the public outburst about his involvement in corruption is geared at besmirching his character.

Contacted on Friday, TroyTec’s Christopher told the Guyana Chronicle that he had no interaction with Persaud before he started applying for contracts at GECOM. He explained that he observed advertisements in the daily newspapers and applied on every occasion. He has denied reports coming out of GECOM that he had been awarded by GECOM contracts valuing more than $600M over the past five years.

Christopher told this publication that he did not receive the majority of contracts from GECOM, and he went as far as to say that the contracts were split. “I have not received that kind of money,” he told the Guyana Chronicle.

Asked if he could substantiate his statement that the contracts were split despite documentation showing that his company had received the majority of those contracts, Christopher said, “I won’t state further on that.”

He told Guyana Chronicle that he works as an agency, collecting advertisements from different persons and placing them. He said he is not part and parcel of any scheme within GECOM, as he became aware of contracts only by virtue of the media.

Asked whether he had had a personal relationship with the GECOM DCEO prior to being awarded contracts by that entity, Christopher said, “I didn’t know him before; I bid based on what was advertised. I have no relationship with Mr. Persaud. I have met him…during the process of working, I met him there…only a professional relationship.”

Christopher also said that he did not find it strange that he was awarded most of the contracts relative to infomercials and related activities. “It was not strange. I work with different people doing similar work…GECOM is not my only client…I am doing similar work with other clients. I am doing business with different clients and government agencies…,” he said while stressing: “I don’t get contracts all the time.”

Questioned by Guyana Chronicle earlier this week, Persaud said other businesses had provided quotations to provide services to GECOM over the years. He said it is unfathomable that he would be accused of handpicking TroyTec when the process was transparent.

Indeed, other companies had submitted proposals to provide several related services relative to production and infomercials. The efforts of those companies were mostly unsuccessful. Guyenterprise, Merundoi, Video Mega Productions, Night Video Production, and Digicel Inc. were among the entities that had submitted quotations to GECOM for the required services.

In defence of TroyTec Video Productions being chosen, Persaud said: “It was not only about the cost.” He said the production company provided the “widest coverage…and the production cost was less.” He added that the process of selection was a transparent one, as advertisements were published in every instance.

Persaud has been accused of managing the entire procurement process, for which he was responsible for placing the advertisements, selecting the company best suited in his opinion, submitting his justification to the Chief Elections Officer, and approving payment based on work done.

“We do not know anything about these transactions… He prepares everything and monitors them himself…there is no evidence to prove that the infomercials and other advertisements were carried. How can he be involved in the entire process from start to finish?” asked a source.

PLACEMENT OF ADS.
GECOM’s Administrative Manager Michelle Ward sought to clear the air on Friday about statements made by Persaud that she was responsible for publishing advertisements in the newspapers and on television and radio.

“The Administrative Department had nothing to do with that…we don’t deal with infomercials and the like,” said Ward. The Administrative Manager made it clear that all activities related to the civic and voter education were handled by Persaud.

“I do not know…he prepares everything…those things…. I don’t know why Mr. Persaud would make such a statement,” Ward said.

Persaud was asked why, as DECO, he did not hand over the civic and voter education aspect to PRO at the time, Richard Francois. He told Guyana Chronicle that he was entrusted with conducting civic and voter education by the commission, and noted that there was no need for former PRO Francois to take on that responsibility.

“Civic and voter education is a separate activity from public relations, to the extent that there is a position for a substantive civic and voter education manager. I did it as PR, because the Commission had entrusted it to me… It wasn’t my responsibility, he explained.

“At that time the office was vacant,” Persaud added. But sources within the Commission said a Commissioner had requested that Francois take charge of the civic and voter education, but Persaud had resisted this move.