Ministers Croal and Rodrigues urge public to report malpractices

MINISTER of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, has disclosed that several measures have now been set in place to prevent the execution of any illegal activities within the ministry.

“When we have delinquent staff or culpable staff, they are dealt with,” the minister stated during a press conference on Wednesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

“I want to make this point very clear: allocations are done at the level of the land administration aspect,” he firmly stated.

Speaking more about the issue, among other measures, staffing has been increased, and more checks are now in place.

Minister Croal did not mince his words when he remarked that no third party shall be involved in any transaction, and it has to be the individual who applied doing the follow-up.

“We are not meeting with anybody on behalf of anybody,” he said.
Additionally, Minister Croal, along with the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, called for people to come forward if they have evidence of malpractices within the ministry.

Amidst the damning revelations that came to light about a specific employee and their breach of the ministry’s protocols, Croal stated that the employee’s service has been terminated.

Minister Rodrigues stated: “We were able to get evidence on one employee. She was arrested; she was questioned and I believe put on bail. The last I know [is] that the file is with the DPP. So, I assume the police are waiting for the return of that file before charging her.”

Furthermore, concerning other employees who committed other breaches, the minister said they face repercussions.

In November, the ministry, through a statement, reiterated its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and service in the exercise of their mandate in the housing sector.

The ministry encouraged persons with “solid evidence” of such corrupt activities to come forward and report it immediately to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the ministers, or the permanent secretary.

“All information received will be treated with strict confidence [sic] and will be used in our internal investigations. We are committed to thoroughly investigating any genuine reports of misconduct within the ministry,” the statement further read.

The ministry then reassured the public and firmly state that they will not condone any form of unethical behaviour or corruption and any employee who is found to be engaging in corrupt transactions will face serious disciplinary action and also the full force of the law, where appropriate.

“The ministry does not have any middlemen or external agents who are authorised to conduct business on its behalf,” the minister stated, while adding: “The Ministry of Housing and Water remains committed to its mission to empower citizens through our housing programmes. We wish to thank the members of the public for their vigilance and for helping us to maintain the integrity of our processes.”

Moreover, several persons were arrested over allegations of corrupt housing transactions.