Former Head of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) Joseph O’Lall was sacked for violating the rules governing PetroCaribe funds but he is maintaining that he did nothing wrong in creating a US dollar interest-bearing ac-count as he was bringing in more money to the agency by being innovative.
O’Lall also said that he was acting within the confines of the laws governing the GEA.
O’Lall was dismissed on December 31, 2007 by way of letter dated December 31, 2007 written by Robeson Benn, acting Minister of Public Works and Communi-cation, for his disregard of Cabinet’s instructions regarding the PetroCaribe agreement.
He had been formally accused on December 27, 2007 of disregarding instructions over payments to the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA and disregarding instructions to remit the premium under the PetroCaribe arrangement to the Bank of Guyana and told to reply by the close of business on December 28 which he did. His reply was not deemed satisfactory and he was dismissed.
O’Lall had also been placed on administrative leave in November over bungled fuel arrangements for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL). At that time, the Chairman of GPL, Ronald Alli, was also relieved of his post for misrepresenting the arrears of the company.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, speaking at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday, made the point that O’Lall was sacked for flouting Cabinet’s specific instructions for the handling of the PetroCaribe financial transactions with the Govern-ment of Guyana and that of Venezuela. O’Lall is said to be contemplating legal action over his dismissal if he is not granted a hearing by Monday.
In his letter of defence on December 28 addressed to Minister Benn and copied to Chairman of the GEA Board and the Prime Minister, O’Lall quoted item 1(b) of Clause 17 of the GEA’s governing Act which states that “funds and resources of the GEA shall consist of income earned by the agency from any of its operations, commercial or otherwise,” and (e) which states: “