An APNU+AFC government will investigate several controversial projects undertaken under the PPP/C administration including the new Skeldon Sugar Factory and the Marriott Hotel and order forensic audits of government’s holding company NICIL, among others, according to the coalition’s Manifesto.
The alliance has been promising that there will be probes of some contentious projects and in its manifesto released today for the May 11 general elections, it says that a group of experts will be appointed to undertake an in-depth review of all major contracts entered into or approved by the government of Guyana and entities such as the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) particularly those pertaining to the disposal of state-owned assets, including lands.
According to the manifesto, investigations will also be done on the use of the PetroCaribe, the Lotto and other funds “used as slush funds”; the contracts for the new Skeldon Sugar Factory; the contract for the Enmore Sugar Packaging Plant; the contract for the international airport expansion project; the contract and financing arrangements for the Marriott Hotel; the contract for the Amaila Falls Hydro-power project; and the contract for the Speciality Hospital.
The alliance, should it get into government, will also commission forensic audits of NICIL as well as the use of the funds which were allocated for the 2005 Floods; the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the hosting of CARIFESTA X; and the ICC Twenty/20 Tournament.
In 2010, Stabroek News reported that months have turned into years and the government had yet to reveal the audited accounts for the expenditure associated with the 2005 Flood, the 2007 World Cup and the Carifesta X festivities held here, despite repeatedly promising to do so. Several calls by the opposition parties for the disclosure of these accounts had fallen on deaf ears.
In December 2008, Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony promised that the accounts for the stage of the Cricket World Cup event held here in March 2007 would have been released before the end of the year. At that time, he said he had the draft of the audited accounts in his possession, which would have to be reviewed again before they were released. In relation to the accounts for the Carifesta X festivities held here in August of 2008, Anthony said these would have been audited at the end of 2008 by the Auditor General with the general accounts of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Anthony had promised too that the audited accounts would be made available.
In 2012, former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran expressed dissatisfaction at government’s continued non-disclosure of the detailed spending with regard to World Cup Cricket, the Great Flood of 2005, and Carifesta 2008 and said that the non-disclosure is likely to fuel suspicion as to whether those resources were properly spent.
“I must say that I was very disappointed to learn that there was no detailed audit of these expenditures and public reporting of the results in order to give the public assurance that all is well with the monies that would have been expended,” Goolsarran had said.
Meantime, in its Manifesto, the APNU+AFC alliance also promised that under their government, they will ensure the early passage of the amended and strengthened Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill and appoint an independent Integrity Commission as a matter of urgency, staffed by persons of the highest integrity.
