The Office of the President this afternoon defended Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali over a report in the Kaieteur News which stated that he was building a “mansion” at Leonora, West Demerara believed to be worth $300M.
The report on January 1st, 2011 also raised the question of how the 31-year-old minister could afford to build such a house.
In a statement this afternoon, The Office of the President said it “views with extreme distaste the resort of elements of the domestic Media to character assassination and defamation.
“The recent Kaieteur News headlines that targeted Minister Irfaan Ali are the latest in the series of yellow journalistic activities.
“The Office of the President rejects such underhand tactics intended to demean and question the probity of the young Minister. Minister Ali has made significant contributions to the development of Guyana particularly in the Housing and Water sectors.
“The Office of the President rejects this malicious effort and anticipates that Minister Ali’s disclosures would continue to justify the confidence of this Administration and the Guyanese people in him.
“The public is warned that these examples of yellow journalism are now known to be a part of a dedicated plan to discredit government personalities and thus the Administration.
“The Office of the President will continue to expose the intellectual authors and their wicked designs”, the statement added.