– amid more corruption revelations at PAC

ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC., has urged the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) to investigate a string of alarming financial crimes during the tenure of the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government.

This call follows the recent disclosure of significant financial irregularities across multiple Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs), suggesting a pattern of mismanagement and possible corruption.
The most flagrant case pertains to Region One, with an astonishing $134 million that cannot be accounted for. Nandlall disclosed that cheques were written without proper documentation, giving rise to grave concerns regarding the proper management of public funds.
The situation is compounded by similar findings in Region Five, where millions are also reported missing under mysterious circumstances.
The Attorney-General highlighted that these discrepancies are not isolated incidents but part of a broader issue that necessitates a thorough investigation.
“These blatant and flagrant corruption,” he stated on Tuesday during his online programme, ‘Issues in the News.’

Nandlall made it clear that the files related to these irregularities would be handed over to SOCU, the body tasked with investigating complex financial crimes in Guyana.
“These files will have to go to the SOCU [for] these are financial crimes. They’re going to be investigated. These are not going to be left on the public record like this,” Nandlall added.
Further scrutiny revealed that Region Seven is also embroiled in financial controversy, with $2.3 million in overpayments made to contractors.
This, according to Nandlall, is indicative of potential fraud or gross negligence, further underscoring the need for comprehensive audits and investigations.

He expressed concerns over what appears to be a concerted effort to expedite the proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is tasked with examining these financial irregularities.
Nandlall pointed out that the rush to move through the PAC’s reviews of previous years, particularly those under the APNU+AFC administration, might be an attempt to avoid public scrutiny of these issues.
“We will get to 2020 at the appropriate time, but we have to deal with the years, year after year that how the scrutiny must be done, that is the purpose of the PAC. But they want to rush through the years that they were in government.
“We will not rush it through. The members of that committee will take their time so that we can unearth all these financial irregularities and frauds that took place and acts of blatant and flagrant corruption,” Nandlall asserted.
The PAC’s investigations are bolstered by detailed reports from the Auditor General, which have laid bare a troubling pattern of financial mismanagement.

In Region One, an audit revealed that 1,194 cheques totalling $791.1 million were found in a sub-treasury safe instead of being returned to the Consolidated Fund, as required by law. This highlighted issue is clear violation of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA).
This discovery is part of a broader audit of 1,216 cheques worth $802.813 million printed on behalf of the Regional Administration as of December 31, 2019.
Such discrepancies suggest a significant lapse in financial oversight and raise concerns about the management of public funds during that period.

Adding to the financial controversies, the 2019 Auditor General’s report for Region Five exposed a major fuel scandal, where fuel was purchased for 26 vehicles that were not even registered in the region’s inventory or the Guyana Revenue Authority’s system.
This anomaly raises suspicions of fraudulent activities, possibly involving fake vehicle registrations or unauthorised fuel consumption.
The report also detailed discrepancies in the procurement of medical supplies, with 31 payment vouchers for drugs amounting to $3.8 million showing bill dates before the requisition dates, further evidencing potential financial malpractice.