Min Edghill silenced in PAC for questions on APNU+AFC vehicle transaction
Minister Edghill questioning the transaction virtually in the Public Accounts Committee.
Minister Edghill questioning the transaction virtually in the Public Accounts Committee.

A HEATED exchange in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday, resulted in the Committee’s Chairman Jermaine Figueira instructing parliament staff to cut the microphone of Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill.

The muzzling occurred at the time Minister Edghill enquired about the sale of three government-owned vehicles in 2017 in the care of the then-Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry. The matter was first raised by PAC member Dharamkumar Seeraj of the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Seeraj said the vehicles included a Toyota pick-up truck valued at $50,000, which was sold at the same price; a Nissan Frontier valued at $100,000 which was sold at $50,000, although the highest bid for the vehicle was $500,000; and a Toyota Coaster bus valued at $950,000, which was sold at $301,000 although the highest bid was $1,010,000.
He enquired why these vehicles were not sold to the highest bidder, and questioned how the accounting officer could reconcile the response that proper guidelines were followed when two of the vehicles were not sold to their closest value, and to the highest bidder.

The Finance Secretary (FS) at the Ministry of Finance, who joined the session from online, said before any public asset is disposed of an application should be made to the public works ministry for guidance on how to dispose of it.

Once that guidance is provided and it is agreed to dispose of the asset by sale, open tender is the best route which would allow as many persons to participate, he told the committee
The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, who must now respond for the 2017 transaction, told the committee that efforts were made to dispose of the vehicles for which his ministry contacted the public works ministry and a value was arrived at.

He said his ministry went to open tender, received bids, and the highest bidder later indicated he did not have funds to purchase the vehicle.

The PAC heard that efforts were also made to have the vehicles donated to training institutions across Guyana, however, these proved futile as they were rejected because of their condition.
Committee member Seeraj then enquired about the bus since, he said, it was sold to the third highest bidder. He questioned if similar action was taken with respect to the bus as was done with the previously mentioned vehicle.

The Acting PS responded in the affirmative as the most responsive bidder for the bus also indicated lack of funds.
Digging deeper into the issue, PAC member Sanjeev Datadin of the PPP/C raised an alarm that the Toyota pick-up truck was not advertised for sale. “How would we have gotten any bidders at that stage?” he enquired.

The Acting PS indicated that this vehicle was on the list of vehicles shown to the training entities, but it was refused.
Asked again by Datadin whether an advertisement was made for the vehicle, the Acting PS said he was advised that approval was sought from the Finance Secretary and granted.
“To sell without putting it for any bid at all?” Datadin enquired further.

“To dispose of the vehicle by the method used,” the Acting PS responded.
Datadin expressed concern that the vehicle was sold to someone who did not bid.

Throwing his voice in as the PS of that ministry at the time, current Education Ministry PS, Alfred King confirmed the explanation of his colleague, adding that there was a stalling of the process by quite a number of months.

King said a walk-in bidding process was followed.
Asked directly by Datadin if he had received further advice from the FS on how to proceed, PS King said a written response was not provided but a status report was completed at the time of closing the year.

It was at this time that Minister Edghill asked PS King to identify who the buyers were.
Figueira, who is also a representative of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), said based on guidance from the Clerk of the Committee, that request would not be fulfilled.

Minister Edghill said his intention was to determine whether it was a ministry official who had purchased the vehicles.
Chairman Figueira inquired of the FS if it is against the rules for members of the ministry to bid for derelict vehicles.

The FS said it is the practice for persons in the system to not bid for the items because of the potential for a conflict of interest.
The FS further added that from the submissions by PS King, there is some clarity that is needed. “The FS is approached with a report from the public works ministry that would recommend how items should be disposed of.

“The Finance Secretary would be guided by the recommendation coming from the Ministry of Public Works. If the Ministry of Public Works recommends that an asset be disposed of by public tender, and the FS endorse [sic] that recommendation, the FS would expect the ministry to do all that would be required in a public tender; all the rules and principles that should be observed; the FS would expect those rules and principles to be observed.

“If there is a change in the position by the head of the budget agency, the head of the budget agency should write the FS expressing that change in position before the head of budget agency proceeds, so that the approval granted by the FS in the first instance is not a blank cheque to do anything.

“You are supposed to always consult the Finance Secretary for any approval, especially if you decide to change your approach. If not, you would be left on your own and you would have to explain why it is that you took that decision.”

He also said that an auditor is supposed to be on site when the transaction is in progress. He noted that this is a learning moment for PS King as the head of administration for the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs ministry at the time.

Minister Edghill expressed concern that the name of the buyer will not be provided.
A heated engagement ensued among the Chairman of the Committee, Committee member David Patterson, also from the APNU+AFC, and Minister Edghill.
Minister Edghill’s microphone was cut off per the instruction of Chairman Figueira.

Edghill accused the Chairman of constantly interrupting him when he was making points, and further accused him of a conflict of interest.

“Was the buyer of these vehicles any way related to a member of staff of the ministry or was it a member of the ministry?” Minister Edghill asked, as Chairman Figueira maintained his objection to naming the buyer.

“They are suppressing that information,” Minister Edghill said emphatically. Committee member, Patterson denied this and denied he had an interest in the matter.

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