High-rise buildings spark bribery allegations investigation
THE City Engineer’s Department of the Georgetown Mayor & City Council (M&CC) has been accused of rampant corruption and it has prompted a unanimous decision, by several councillors, to pass a motion in favour of conducting an investigation. “The only time you hear about the City Engineer’s Department is when they taking bribes all over the place,” Councillor Patricia Chase-Green declared at the statutory meeting on Monday, September 26.

She informed that the majority vote for an independent investigation took place some weeks before and suggested it be discussed.
City Engineer Gregory Erskine left the meeting shortly after Chase-Green’s remarks and, when approached, later, for a comment on the accusations, he said: “I don’t know where it’s coming from.”
But, speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, Chase-Green said the councillors passed the motion because of the many high-rise buildings that are steadily going up but cannot be accounted for at the Council.
She charged that there are many alleged illegal constructions at various locations in the city, including at Cummings Street, Louisa Rowe and Sheriff Street.
Chase-Green said the intention is to have an independent investigation and the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE, among other organisations, is being contacted for help with it.
“There have been so many complaints and we have been asking to see the plans. In fact, we are not even certain if they exist,” she said.
Chase-Green explained that Erskine should be able to produce that information since he ought to be in possession of  copies of the plans.
The motion was passed especially in view of the financial constraints that have been plaguing the municipality for several years now. The situation, at present, is so dire that workers are oftentimes left without salaries and citizens without a variety of services.
Councillor Junior Garrett, who  often requests, at the fortnightly statutory meetings, that the standing orders be suspended to deal with the financial position of the council, made another at the Monday meeting.
On the request, City Treasurer Andrew Meredith reported that the Council expects to rake in $100M in rates and taxes at the end of this month.
Meredith conceded, however, that the amount is “barely adequate” and, on average, is not what was expected.
Mayor Hamilton Green interjected that what is owed by the Council affects every aspect of its operations.
Councillor Garrett, after listening to the Treasurer’s report, on the basis of which the Council’s projected collection each month is $132M, confessed that, even in view of the amnesty and the notices sent out, the concession has “no due effect” in that it has brought in far below what was anticipated and was a failure
Town Clerk Yonnette Pluck disclosed that 22 persons are in the field going after all delinquent taxpayers. She said there are some people who have owed for as long as 15 years and in excess of $70M.
Chase-Green then claimed that the Treasurer and the Town Clerk seek to make all kinds of excuses for the financial woes and that the purpose of each statutory meeting is to “send the fools further on.”