The ongoing probe into the abuse of remigrant duty-free concessions is looking at around 15 to 20 persons.
Auditor General Deodat Sharma told Stabroek News that for the investigation period of 2010 to 2014, roughly 15 to 20 persons have been investigated further after an initial inquiry.
He said that his office has already submitted two interim reports to the board of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The probe was initiated by the Auditor General’s office under the direction of the GRA Board of Directors and according to sources it was prompted by a flood of luxury vehicles on the roads.
Sharma stated that the GRA board would have to make recommendations and the authority, headed by Khurshid Sattaur, would have to then continue the investigation, which could result in formal charges being handed down should abuse be found to have occurred.
The GRA’s legal department would decide if there was sufficient evidence of any fraudulent activity.
The GRA has been unable to dismiss claims by the publisher of Kaieteur News Glenn Lall that he was targeted because of his newspaper’s reporting on government corruption. So far, only one set of charges has been brought in what was said to be a broad probe which began at the start of the year into abuse of the remigrant concessions.
Sharma said that his office was tasked with looking at the immigration records of over 200 remigrants annually.
He said that once something suspicious was flagged, his office would trace all of the relevant paperwork and cross check if the immigration criteria were met. He said that some records will show that remigrants will have gone back overseas but they would have purchased and brought in a vehicle.
He noted that the work took time given the amount of documentation that needed to be examined and he emphasised that the number of persons being looked at was not large compared to the amount of remigrants who adhere to the requirements under the remigrant scheme. Sattaur told Stabroek News that contrary to popular belief, more persons have been charged and cases are ongoing. When asked specifically about the charges resulting from the most recent investigation that is said to be ongoing, Sattaur deflected the question.
He firmly stated that he was not about to relay sensitive information about an ongoing investigation. Sattaur said that the reason the investigation was in the public sphere was because of Lall broadcasting the issue and attempting to embarrass the GRA.
Stabroek News asked if it was not the responsibility of the authority to brief the public on the general facts, such as the number of cases of potential abuse and the criteria that would ultimately allow for private charges to be brought against those individuals.
Sattaur emphasised that he would not be commenting on the specifics of this current investigation, only saying that charges had been brought previously and that individuals are given the opportunity to cooperate.
