Eight years after three senior NBS managers were charged with conspiring to defraud the NBS of $69M, the men are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives but expressed pleasure at the Ombudsman’s recent report which found that there was no basis to charge them for fraud.
In an interview with Stabroek News, Maurice Arjoon, who had been with the New Building Society for 30 years when he was charged, stated that he had been affected both emotionally and physically by the allegations. At the time of the allegations Arjoon had been the Director-Secretary.
Prior to the charge of conspiracy to defraud, Arjoon and two other managers were dismissed from NBS for misconduct and dereliction of duty in relation to the $69M lost from a customer’s account.
“These people destroyed my life; I was left highly traumatized,” he said. He explained that he had lost a lot of weight and had suffered from sleepless nights. He added that his family had not been spared and had suffered almost as much as he had.
“My mother didn’t take it too well,” Arjoon said. “She took it on and now she’s bedridden.”
“I’ve been exonerated but the scars and the trauma does not go away like that. During these seven and a half years I could not have survived this ordeal without the help of my family, especially my wife. She’s been my tower of strength and has been very supportive,” Arjoon said.
He also said that he received “overwhelming support from the man on the street”, a sentiment that was echoed by co-accused Kent Vincent.
Vincent, who had been with the NBS for 13 years and had been the Operations Manager when he was charged, explained that the past seven and a half years have been “a difficult period” for him and his family. It was also, he said, a time of grace from God.
“My wife is a housewife and I have five daughters so it wasn’t easy being without a job,” Vincent said. When the men were charged, Vincent’s youngest daughter had been 2 years old, the eldest in her teens.
“My children were having to go to school and deal with accusations; I’m sure they had a rough time too,” he said.
According to Vincent, his finances had been exhausted from years of lawyer’s fees.
“We were left with very little. We had to cut back on everything with our expenditures; we were turning off lights, moving our microwave out of the house…we couldn’t afford to pay the rent but our landlord was an angel and he allowed us to stay in the house for couple years well without us paying. I still owe him money but he’s been like a father to us,” Vincent said.
He stated that the most difficult part was having to go to court and stand there “wasting time”.
“Everyone knew it was just a matter of time before the charges were dismissed; they were just prolonging the case, dragging out,” he said.
However, his problems did not end after the managers were freed of the charges by the court and about eight months after he was able to find a job.
“There are people who would look at you and think you’ve done something wrong; I’ve learnt to not judge people who appear before court and who are charged because you can’t always take things at face value,” Vincent said.
Meanwhile, both of the men expressed satisfaction with the Ombudsman’s 25-page report which vindicated them of any involvement in the $69M fraud.
The report was sent to all three of the managers and according Vincent it was “quite revealing”.
“There were some things in the report that we were not aware of and I know that after a time the truth will have to come out,” he said. He continued, “I’m pleased that people are seeing that we were not involved in anything; I’m very pleased with the report.”
Arjoon further said that he had been wronged when he was denied his pension. “I haven’t received a cent of my pension and I contributed about $8M in my 30 years,” he said.
According to Arjoon, he was wrongfully dismissed and subsequently sued the NBS. The trial, he said, started in 2011 and is still ongoing. He stated that he was initially cross-examined on February 27, 2014 and is still in the witness box. “I’m going to break the Guinness Book of Records for being in the witness box for so long,” he lamented.
He added that his matter against the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is still in appeal after it was dismissed in April 2013.
Both men expressed gratitude to the Ombudsman, retired Justice Winston Moore, and retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Henry Chester who assisted Moore in his investigations.
“Although internal and external investigations at NBS and the trial at the Magistrates’ Courts cleared us, it is solidified seven and a half years later by this report from Guyana’s Ombudsman,” Arjoon said in a statement. He went on, “I must extend heartfelt thanks to the Ombudsman…and Henry Chester for investigating my complaint in a most professional manner.”
Vincent added, “When I saw the report I was pleasantly surprised; I was very happy with its conclusion. “There’s still hope for persons who have been wronged, thanks to the appointment of the Ombudsman.”
The other manager who was charged was Kissoon Baldeo. He could not be contacted by Stabroek News for comment.
According to Justice Moore’s report, the senior managers had suffered “a grave injustice”. The Ombudsman’s role is to investigate complaints against persons who hold public office. This report is his first major one since being appointed to the post in December last year.
