…says Craig failed to act, self-serving

LEONARD CRAIG, Chairman of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA), has been found wanting in the performance of his duties by the Board of Inquiry established by President David Granger to ascertain the veracity of allegations of corruption and misconduct made against two directors of that entity.

The inquiry has also chided the chairman for publicising the accusations to serve his own purposes.

The Board of Inquiry, chaired by Major General (ret’d) Joseph Singh, has found that the GNBA Chairman failed to act in accordance with established procedures, regulations and protocols.

Kenwin Charles, Essequibo cable broadcaster of Northwest TV Inc, had alleged that GNBA Directors Anthony Vieira and Vic Insanally had tried to improperly force him to stop doing business on the Essequibo Coast.

Charles’s allegations were made public via a press statement issued by Craig.
The charge by Charles was denied by both directors, and resulted in Vieira, the former owner of VCT Channel 28, accusing Charles of attempting to tarnish his reputation. He said, too, that he and Insanally explained to Charles that his service was illegal, and that he needed to stop transmitting and apply to the body to have it regularised.

Vieira and Insanally have also demanded an apology and compensation from Craig for comments they deemed defamatory. Through their attorneys at the Satram and Satram law firm, the directors argued that Charles is an unlicensed operator, and a board committee had decided to meet with such operators and seek to regularise their operations. The two directors said the allegation raised by Charles was not brought to their attention for a response at the last board meeting, and Craig’s repetition of the allegations made by Charles was malicious and was calculated to bring them into public hatred, contempt, and ridicule.

“There is no truth in the published allegations made by Mr. Charles, who is operating illegally and is in no position to sell his operation. You (Craig) are directly responsible for the circulation of these false allegations, which will be deemed to have originated from you,” the directors contended.

ALLOWED TO FESTER
The Inquiry also found that Craig “allowed the situation to fester (in order) to serve his own purposes.” According to the report, which was submitted to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo at the end of October and was seen by the Guyana Chronicle, Craig, though in receipt of both oral and written allegations by Charles, failed to establish the facts. He also “failed to convene a meeting of the Board to deliberate on the matter; failed to observe the protocol relating to disclosures to the media; publicized without any preliminary investigation the allegations of Mr. Charles.

As a result of the GNBA Chairman’s actions, the Board of Inquiry found that he allowed the media to highlight the allegations by identifying both Vieira and Insanally as the directors against whom the accusations were made, and that amounted to Craig impugning their characters.

On August 26, 2016, Charles, at a meeting for which the Board had given approval, alleged that Vieira and Insanally demanded that his business — Northwest TV Inc. — be relocated from the Essequibo Coast to somewhere in the Mahaica/Berbice area.

“He further alleged that Director Vieira has indicated to him that he (would) not issue two cable licences in the same region, but in the same Berbice area there was already a cable operator named Carib Atlantic,” the report stated.

Additionally, it was alleged that Director Vieira “bullied and demanded” that Craig take his offer; and according to the complainant, he was given no chance to speak and explain himself unless he agreed to relocate to Berbice.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who has direct responsibility for the broadcast sector, has expressed much disappointment with the performance of the board. He told Guyana Chronicle recently that instead of getting down to its work, the board’s minutes were being leaked and its work stymied.

The Board of Inquiry was appointed on October 4, 2016 on the direction of President David Granger following media reports arising from allegations made by Charles against directors of the GNBA. As such, the Board was required to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allegations, determine the veracity of Mr Charles’s allegations contained in statements, and make recommendations to improve transparency and efficiency at the GNBA.

Twelve interviews were conducted with all stakeholders before the findings and recommendations were submitted to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.