…contracts for Ramotar, others not renewed

THE Guyana Gold Board (GGB) has announced the appointment of Miss Eondrene Thompson as its new General Manager, effective January 1, 2018 and also mentioned that the contracts for the former GM, Lisa Ramotar and two others have not been renewed.

Miss Thompson, who was the substantive Finance Manager, has acted as GM since April 24, 2017, when the then GM, Ms. Lisa Ramotar, along with two other senior officers were sent on administrative leave, the board said in a release.

“The board of directors unanimously agreed that the GGB needs to proceed in a new direction under new leadership. The board holds in high regard the integrity, skills, and commitment of Miss Thompson to positioning and leading the organisation forward,” the release added.
The new GM has been at the Gold Board since March, 2010 after a 15-year stint at the Bank of Guyana. She is a graduate of the University of Guyana and holds an Executive MBA in Executive Leadership from Liverpool John Moores University.

The contracts for the three officers sent on leave expired on December 31, 2017. In keeping with its vision of new direction and new leadership, the board of directors decided not to renew the contractual relationships. Back in April last year, Ramotar was sent on administrative leave along with her deputy and the compliance officer. Ramotar is the daughter of former President Donald Ramotar. The trio had been probed by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) as well, based on a forensic audit report and a simultaneous police investigation into an alleged money-laundering ring.

At a November 2017 news conference, GGB Chairman Gabriel Lall had disclosed that instances of financial irregularities have been discovered at the board and had resulted in two members of staff with decades of experience being sent home pending the outcome of investigations. Lall’s statement had come one day after the media reported that the GGB’s accountant and clerk have been sent home for fraudulent activities.

But notwithstanding discovery of the financial irregularities, Lall gave the assurance that clients’ assays are intact and its operations have not been compromised. “We had to send home two workers and we have an investigation ongoing, where some financial irregularities have surfaced. Without going into any detail, let me say the documentation is thorough, the evidence is persuasive and comprehensive; that is about as much as I can say,” said the GGB chairman.

He said too that the investigation is ongoing and noted that it would be unfair for the GGB to make its own conclusions, “even though we have our arms around it to a very satisfactory extent.” The two persons sent on leave have been identified as an accountant and a clerk.
The duo were identified because on every false document their names and signatures were attached. “They identified it, they were shown it and they admitted that it was their signature.”

The GGB chair said too that miners are involved in every process when they take their gold to be purchased at the Gold Board. In fact, he disclosed that miners (clients) are provided with a document which they take for their payments to be processed, while emphasising that the “opportunity to shave off is simply non-existent.”

“We want to send the reassurance out there that up to date, despite our numerous discoveries, no miner’s assay is compromised,” said Lall, who did not disclose the amount of money tied up in the illegal activities.