-Jagdeo says, exposes veil of corruption under APNU+AFC government

GENERAL Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has revealed a web of corruption and broken promises that had plagued the nation while A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) held office.

Addressing a large gathering at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, East Berbice-Corentyne, to honour the party’s late founder, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Jagdeo did not mince words in calling out the APNU+AFC for their failure to deliver on their promises, particularly in combating corruption.

He pointed out that the promises made by APNU+AFC in the lead-up to the 2015 elections were lofty and ambitious, tantalising voters with the prospect of a new era of accountability and transparency.

However, this reality on the ground tells a starkly different story after the APNU+AFC was elected to government.

Jagdeo explained that whilst in government, the APNU+AFC accused the PPP of corruption; however, the party itself became embroiled in a web of deceit and malpractice during its time in office.

“APNU made promises in 2015, everything under the sun. Five years in government to prove corruption and all the things that they talked about when we (PPP) were in office,” Jagdeo said.

He explained that one of the key pillars of any government’s integrity lies in its adherence to legal and ethical standards, particularly in matters of procurement and financial management, which is what the PPP is founded on.

However, Jagdeo pointed out that the APNU+AFC government flouted these principles with alarming regularity.

He pointed to the case of AFC member and former Minister of Public Infrastructure under APNU+AFC government, David Patterson, who is before the court for allegedly taking unsolicited bids and awarding contracts in violation of procurement laws.

In 2021, Patterson and the former General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), Rawlston Adams, were jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud.

The charge stemmed from the controversial contract awarded for the feasibility study and design of a new Demerara River Crossing in 2016.

The pair allegedly defrauded DHBC of $162,635,015, which belonged to the Asphalt Plant, which falls under the purview of the DHBC.

The particulars of the charge indicated that the funding of the feasibility study and design for a new Demerara Harbour Bridge was not a function of the DHBC, hence the monies from the Asphalt Plant account could not have been used to fund the project.

Jagdeo also called out Patterson over the breach of contract concerning the non-delivery of three portable motion scales bought by the APNU+AFC government for a whopping $72.264 million back in December 2016.

An audit had reportedly found that the director of NevPro Realization Limited of Jamaica was APNU+AFC’s campaign manager for the 2015 General and Regional Elections and was closely associated with the AFC, the political party of which Patterson is a founding member.

In 2020, the scales were reportedly destroyed along with millions of dollars’ worth of vehicles and other imported items during a fire at Laparkan and Tropical Shipping bonds.

Similarly, Jagdeo pointed out that the allegations of corruption within the Ministry of Finance, cast a shadow over the APNU+AFC government’s fiscal stewardship.

Former Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan had faced charges for allegedly selling state-owned properties at grossly undervalued prices, resulting in significant losses to the national treasury.

It was alleged that, while serving as Finance Minister under the APNU+AFC coalition government, he committed wilful misconduct by acting recklessly when he signed the NICIL (Transfer of Property) Order, No. 50 of 2020. NICIL, the government’s holding company, fell under Jordan’s ministerial portfolio.

The substantive matter relates to Jordan transferring and vesting to BK Marine Inc. all buildings, erections, stellings, platforms, and further appurtenances at Mud Lots One and Two, F of Mud Lot Three, A, B and D, being over 2.553 acres.

In that transaction, it was reported that $20,260,276 was paid for a property initially valued at over $5,000,000,000. The selling price was reportedly grossly below the actual value of the assets sold.

However, he was freed from the charges last year after the State failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish that Jordan met the criteria of a “Public Officer.”

“They sold a ton of land and transported the land before we came in. In fact, change of ownership of the land without collecting a cent. We plan to take back all those lands,” Jadgeo said.

INSTITUTIONAL FAILINGS

He explained that corruption within the APNU+AFC government extended beyond individual ministerial portfolios to encompass broader institutional failings.

The general secretary pointed to instances of land mismanagement and irregularities in the allocation of state resources, citing examples where valuable land was dispensed without proper compensation or due process.

“Look at Wales, they gave out all of the lands at Wales, we now have. We need land to build 14,000 house lots for people, we’re taking it back here, right here, so that the people in Region Three can get it. They gave it all up,” he lamented.

Despite facing serious allegations of corruption, Jadgeo said that many former APNU+AFC officials have evaded prosecution, which led him to raise questions about the impartiality and effectiveness of the judicial system.

He pointed to the already protracted electoral fraud case trial, which has several persons from the APNU+AFC who were charged and fingered in, but the trial is yet to commence.

People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) activist Carol Smith-Joseph; former Health Minister under APNU+AFC government, Volda Lawrence; former Chief Election Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield; former Deputy CEO, Roxanne Myers; former District Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo; and GECOM employees, Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Denise Babb-Cummings, and Michelle Miller are accused of a number of offences, including misconduct in public office, uttering forged documents, and plotting to deceive the electors of Guyana by declaring a false account of votes.

“I bet you, if it was a PPP minister, they would have already tried them and convicted them as they tried to do in the past when they had no evidence of corruption. The same thing is happening with the rigging case,” Jadgeo said.

He pointed to the findings of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events of the 2020 General and Regional Elections, which had found that there was collusion and collaboration between senior GECOM officials to divert votes to the APNU +AFC instead of safeguarding and preserving the integrity of the electoral system.

The report found that Lowenfield blatantly made decisions and employed procedures in direct contradiction to the law and the will of the people. The findings revealed too that GECOM staffers ignored specific instructions from the court, used materials that were illegal and or manipulated, and sided with APNU+AFC agents to berate observers whenever objections were raised.

There are over dozens of documented corruption scandals involving the APNU+AFC including the parking meter scandal which citizens of Guyana are now left with a series of rusting parking meters spread across the downtown area. Guyana is currently being sued by the company, Smart City Solutions (SCS) for US $100 million.

In light of these revelations, Jagdeo issued a clarion call for renewed vigilance and civic engagement, urging citizens to raise their level of consciousness and demand accountability from those in power.

“We need to raise our own level of consciousness. If we don’t do that, the same forces are going to come back and dupe us,” Jagdeo implored.