Some eight months (June) after President Donald Ramotar ordered an investigation into financial irregularities at the National Communication Network and some four months (November) since the Audit firm has handed in its report, there has been no move by the Administration to ensure that those who siphoned off the company money into their personal accounts are charged.
This is the highest level of executive lawlessness.
The deposit of company money into personal bank accounts is not an allegation, there is evidence that this fraudulent transaction did take place. In any other society, those responsible would have been behind bars. For the President to sit on the report from the audit firm while the perpetrators are still being paid by the company or allowed to go free, places the president in a position where he is clearly condoning executive lawlessness.
If President Ramotar is disinclined to take action in his capacity as President, he is honour bound as Minister of Information to ensure that the state owned and government controlled NCN operates above board and in such a clear case of irregularity, he should have immediately called for those named to face the full force of the law and let the chips fall where they will.
In addition to the NCN audit report, President Ramotar is also sitting on an audit report on the operations of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) that recommends the immediate dismissal of NDIA’s boss Lionel Wordsworth and the Senior Section Engineer, Aneel Chowbay, after the auditors found several instances of fraud and conflict of interest.
The audit on fuel consumption and equipment operations and maintenance, was conducted between May and September. It was completed and submitted to the Chairman of the NDIA Board of Directors on September 26, and carbon copied to President Donald Ramotar. Five months on and the President has failed to clean house.
These clear-cut and proven cases of financial irregularities at two government controlled entities have placed Guyana in a very embarrassing position. This is compounded b the fact that the persons named either continue to work in the agency with the opportunity to continue their illegal behavior or they are given a slight tap on the wrist and sent off to perpetrate such acts elsewhere. They are not made to pay for the wrong they did.
While the AFC remains committed to working with President Ramotar and his administration to move Guyana forward, we remind him of remarks he to his new cabinet in December 2012, “…our nation’s well being should always be our most important guiding influence” and call on him to lead by example and put this nation’s well being ahead of protecting cronies. [END]
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