INVESTIGATIONS are still ongoing into the case of the exorbitant gifts that were received by former Ministers of Government of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) David Patterson and Annette Ferguson during their time in office between 2015 and 2020.

It was in 2021 that it was revealed that over the five years under the APNU+AFC government, Patterson received personal gifts totalling $2.646 million from agencies under his remit.
Meanwhile, while serving as junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Ferguson received items valued at $1.4 million from the very agencies; however, these were classified as “donations”.

Most of the gifts were issued under the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), while significant sums were also spent by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC).
The gifts continued to be issued despite government ministries and other budget agencies being sent a circular in 2018 from the Finance Secretary notifying of the illegalities of using public monies to purchase expensive jewellery and other personal gifts for government officials.

Additionally, as part of the Fiscal Management and Accountability (FMA) Act, accounting officers, Permanent Secretaries included, could face penalties for spending monies that have not been budgeted for and approved by the National Assembly.

Given the severity of the situation, the Auditor General’s Office (AOG) was called in to conduct a forensic audit of the situation at MARAD and the other agencies. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has been called in to investigate the circumstances.

According to a source, the forensic audit by the AOG is still ongoing.
The issue of gift-giving within the Ministry of Public Works was placed under the microscope following an investigation into the operations of the state-owned asphalt plant, a subsidiary of the DHBC.

According to 2016 records, the MARAD had purchased a birthday gift for Patterson valued at $60,000. Further, in 2018, the same agency purchased a $384,700 birthday bracelet for Patterson from King’s Jewellery World.
Documents from May 2020 showed that MARAD went on to approve a majestic sum of $704,292 “towards the purchase of birthday gifts”.

In this case, however, the records did not specify that the purchase was for Patterson’s birthday gift.
This purchase would’ve been after the 2020 general and regional elections were held which saw the APNU+AFC losing government. Records show that Patterson also received gifts from the Transport and Harbour Department (THD), the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and the DHBC.

When the reports began to surface, Patterson initially denied receiving the gifts, saying that the reports were crafted in an effort to tarnish his reputation.
However, as documentation was presented, Patterson later admitted to receiving the gifts, but said that he was not aware that his acceptance of the expensive items was in breach of regulations.

A spreadsheet from the DHBC showed that in excess of $6 million in “donations” were given to the Public Infrastructure Ministry between June 2015 and July 2016.
The gift-giving was also extended to former General Manager of the DHBC, Rawlston Adams who approved the purchase of a spanking $897,000 bracelet as a gift for International Men’s Day in 2020. Adams later resigned and repaid for the item.