President David Granger has said that the actions of Minister of State Joseph Harmon do not in any way constitute a breach of the proposed code of conduct for ministers.
On this week’s broadcast of ‘The Public Interest,’ the President was asked whether he felt the “fiasco” surrounding Harmon’s trip to China had violated to still to be finalised ministerial code of conduct. In response, he said “There is no evidence that there was any breach of a code of conduct.”
According to President Granger, Harmon travelled to China on state business, which generated, among other things, the information that the previous government did not account for a US$5 million payment for GT&T shares. He referenced this as a “fiasco” that deserves attention in contrast to the artificially generated “fiasco” surrounding Harmon.
Harmon has been beset by a string of allegations pertaining to his appointment of businessman Brian Tiwarie as a business adviser, interfering with the work of the Guyana Revenue Authority and a trip to China where he had contact with representatives of controversial logging company, Baishanlin.
Within a day of the revelation of Tiwarie’s appointment, Granger rescinded the appointment, saying that Tiwarie’s services were not needed.
For more than a week Harmon refused to speak publicly on the allegations. He has since issued several press statements covering the issues and according to the President, has satisfactorily defended his actions at the level of cabinet. The Ministry of the Presidency, in a statement on April 1, had said that Harmon’s trip to China was for the purpose of engaging in discussions with regard to the payment of the US$5 million balance owed to the government for the purchase of 20% of GT&T shares by Chinese company Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group from National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) in 2012. This deal was entered into by the previous PPP/C administration but only US$25 million of the agreed US$30 million was paid.
Asked about the controversial trip at a post-cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman said Harmon had obtained documents which show that the US$5 million was paid over prior to the APNU+AFC coalition taking office and efforts are underway to track the money.
“So, we are trying to track down to whom, how and where,” he told reporters.
This pronouncement has since been challenged by former president Donald Ramotar, who denied that the monies had been paid over to his administration prior to the May 11th, 2015 general elections.
“The claim by the APNU+AFC Gov’t that the money was received is a lie and I challenge the government to present the ‘documents’ it has received (under suspicious and questionable circumstances) so that the veracity of the evidence can be tested and authenticated,” Ramotar said in a statement on Thursday.
Asked on ‘The Public Interest’ if he would pursue this matter President Granger responded, “Of course. US$5 million can build a lot of schools.”
