The AFC yesterday called for the immediate removal of Khurshid Sattaur as Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), following the publication of what appeared to be an email exchange between him and Attorney-General Anil Nandlall discussing actions to be taken against the Kaieteur News.
The GRA subsequently said Sattaur viewed the party’s call as “malicious” and bordering on “intimidation.”
The Kaieteur News, whose publisher Glen Lall has accused Sattaur of targeting the newspaper in retaliation for its exposure of government wrongdoing, published the redacted emails purporting to show collusion by the GRA boss and Nandlall on Monday.
The AFC, in a press release issued yesterday, called for a thorough investigation of the “shocking” revelations of the targeting of the independent media by the GRA, seemingly under the direction of external forces.
It said that no other option than Sattaur being removed can be acceptable.
It described the emails, which disclose the tax information of all four of the daily newspapers and which may have been sent to former president Bharrat Jagdeo, as a deliberate breach of public trust and a demonstration that every citizen and business is at risk of being targeted and shut down.
“The party has been in receipt of various complaints of activities of this nature and had thus long held suspicions that independent media houses and businesses which are deemed not to be subservient to the authorities have been unfairly targeted for investigations,” it said.
“It now appears as though there is incontrovertible evidence as to the scandalous levels of this seemingly highly orchestrated illegal and vile campaign of fear and intimidation which reaches the highest levels of government,” it added.
The party also emphasised that Jagdeo is a private citizen and has no authority whatsoever, under the law or otherwise, to request the tax information of any person of business.
Stabroek News contacted Nandlall on the emails but he was not prepared to comment. “I am not prepared to make a statement on the issue at this stage. I am doing some investigations,” he said.
Pressed as to whether he was denying that the email emanated from him, the AG said, “I am not prepared to comment.”
The AFC named Sattaur’s removal as its number one demand in response to the Kaieteur News report. It also called on President Donald Ramotar to immediately withdraw Nandlall from heading the Guyana delegation which is scheduled to meet the Americas Regional Review Group in Miami as part of the targeted review of the country’s anti-money laundering compliance.
The party also called on the Private Sector Commission (PSC) to publicly condemn the revelations along with civil society, the media and non-governmental organisations.
The party also said it is currently gathering information and will shortly convene a management meeting to discuss its course of action. It did, however, reveal immediate plans to dispatch communiques on the situation to all foreign missions in Guyana, Caricom and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and the Financial Action Task Force.
The GRA recently seized two sports utility vehicles belonging to Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan—close friends of Lall—and Sattaur said the move was part of a wider investigation into the misuse of vehicles imported by remigrants that began since the start of the year. Lall, however, has maintained that the seizure of the vehicles, which had been used by him and his wife, were part of the persecution of his newspaper over its exposés.
Repeated efforts to make contact with Sattaur yesterday proved futile as calls to his cellular phone went unanswered.
However, the GRA later issued a statement in response to the AFC and said that Sattaur was unaware of any “incontrovertible evidence” of any targeting of citizens and businesses by the GRA.
“Mr Sattaur noted that it is rather duplicitous for the AFC to be calling on the GRA to ensure that taxes are collected from all in a fair manner, yet instead of standing up in support when such evasions are discovered, the focus has now been diverted to attack the agency on perceived revelation of information purportedly emanating from the GRA,” the statement said.
It added that the GRA wished to assure the public that the agency is mandated to uphold the public trust and will continue to do so.
“I will continue to carry out my duties as outlined in the mandate of the Revenue Authority, since failure to do so would be tantamount to me abdicating my responsibilities,” Sattaur was quoted as saying. “It is unfair that in carrying out my duties it also requires me to exercise the Revenue Authority’s mandate against persons who are intent on bullyism as a form of intimidation. However, this will not be condoned and any such acts will be spoken against,” he added.
