Trade union leader Carvil Duncan was yesterday charged with stealing almost $1M and conspiring to steal over $28M from the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL), where he had been serving as a board member.
Duncan, President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG), was released on $1M bail after denying the charges in a city magistrate’s court, which also issued an arrest warrant for his co-accused, GPL Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Administration) Aeshwar Deonarine.
When questioned about the whereabouts of Deonarine, Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones stated that he was not summoned but was informed by the Chief Inspector about the case. It is alleged that Deonarine left Guyana on August 3, 2015 for Canada. An arrest warrant was issued for Deonarine.
Duncan, on the other hand, was placed on bail and is set to appear before the court once more on February 19.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan read three charges to Duncan at his arraignment yesterday.
Duncan was charged with stealing $984,900, which was the property of GPL Inc, on March 31, 2015, at Georgetown. He was also charged with conspiring with Deonarine to steal $984,900 from GPL Inc on the same day, and conspiring with Deonarine to steal the sum of $27,757,500, also property of GPL Inc, between May 7 and May 8, 2015.
Duncan, 73, of 1977 Williamstaad Street, Festival City, Georgetown, was not required to plead since the charges were indictable.
The charges stem from payments that were made by Deonarine and Duncan to themselves and which were uncovered by a forensic audit that was commissioned after the APNU+AFC government entered office last year. The money allegedly stolen by Duncan represents retroactive payments for his time on the GPL Board.
Duncan had told Stabroek News that he was paid fees owed to him for some six years since the company had not paid its board members, during which time they were forced to use their own money for transportation and other expenses.
Although Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said last year that the GPL board had made no decision on paying increases to members, Duncan said his payment was approved by way of a Cabinet circular which sets out board fees. However, he also said later that he had written to Deonarine indicating that he was prepared to return the money if it was not authorised after it was “hinted” that the money should not have been paid to him. He was the only director who received the retroactive payment.
In relation to Deonarine, the money allegedly stolen represents a retroactive salary hike from for the period January, 2013 to June, 2015, that he transferred to himself and which Patterson said had not been approved by the board.
He allegedly transferred the sum with the help of Duncan, who was one of the signatories to the company’s bank accounts.
Duncan had told this newspaper that he believed the board approved the retroactive payment to Deonarine.
“Ash [Deonarine] upgrading his salary was a board decision and the board went on to say that that it need to get the concurrence of the minister responsible for electricity to move forward [Sam Hinds at the time]. Ash would have had some approval; I can’t see a senior manager saying his salary was upgraded and he didn’t get no approval. And once he did not get the approval the cheque would not have come to me,” Duncan told this newspaper.
