The Government is moving closer to exposing irregularities within the country’s driver licensing system, with President Dr. Irfaan Ali confirming that a list of persons who allegedly bypassed established procedures has already been compiled and will soon be made public.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on Wednesday, President Ali said ongoing reconciliation efforts have uncovered “glaring inconsistencies” across multiple stages of the licensing process.
Last year, during a comprehensive post-audit review conducted jointly with the Commissioner of Police, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ministry of Public Service, the Ministry of Government Efficiency and Implementation and the Ministry of Home Affairs, uncovered wide-scale irregularities in the licensing system.
“… we undertook an exercise, and we found some glaring inconsistency between those who wrote the theoretical exam, those who got the practical exams and then those who ultimately got the licence,” the Head of State disclosed.
He noted that the reconciliation process is still underway, but authorities are now at an advanced stage, with a prepared list of individuals expected to be called in to provide explanations.
“The reconciliation is ongoing, and what you will see very soon is a list published of persons who will be asked to come in to explain themselves. So I know that the list has been prepared on that matter,” President Ali stated.
The development signals a tightening of oversight within the licensing system, as the administration moves to address longstanding concerns about irregular issuance of driver’s licences.
Back in December 2025, the Government had first indicated its intention to publicly identify individuals who may have circumvented the legal requirements for obtaining licences. At the time, officials pointed to systemic weaknesses that allowed some applicants to progress through or entirely skip critical stages such as written and practical examinations.
Last year, the Head of State had disclosed that the deployment of technology has now made it possible to “triangulate” every step of the licensing chain, from theoretical testing to practical certification and finally to the issuance of licences by GRA.
That digitised trail, he said, has exposed discrepancies that can no longer be ignored.
“We can tell you, all those who wrote the theoretical exam in class, and that is the only way to move forward with the practical exam. And we can tell you all those who got a practical certificate and then actually got a licence at GRA,” President Ali said. “If you have 150 people passing a theory, but 400 people are getting their practical certification, something is wrong,” he related.
The audit identified individuals who were granted practical certificates despite never passing the theoretical exam, an outcome the President described as unacceptable and a direct threat to public safety.
Wednesday’s update confirms that those concerns have since been substantiated through internal review.
