Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) Dr Richard Van West Charles said there is “no conflict” arising from him being part of a company that was granted a licence to import and sell fuel, pointing out that no licence was granted to him as an individual.
The CEO was contacted on the issue yesterday and he pointed out that he had been a director of the company—Atlantic Fuel Inc—“long before” he joined the water corporation. “…Nothing has occurred since I joined GWI. This is long before I joined GWI,” Van West Charles said.
The Guyana Times reported yesterday that a licence was granted to the company by the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) in November of last year and that an application for the said licence was made in February 2015. Van West Charles was appointed CEO of GWI on October 1, 2015.
Van West Charles took issue with the article’s headline, which indicated that he had been granted the licence.
West Charles
“No licence was issued to Richard Van West Charles, that is the first thing; so the headline of the article is erroneous and scandalous and irresponsible,” he told this newspaper.
Specifically asked whether his position at GWI and the one at the company poses a conflict the CEO quickly said, “There is no conflict. There is no conflict at all.”
He was then asked about Lear Goring, who according to the Guyana Times article is a director of at the fuel company, and is now employed at GWI. His only response was, “And so what happened with that?” He terminated the conversation shortly after. Stabroek News understands that Goring, who lived in the US, has been appointed Debt Recovery Manager at GWI.
Van West Charles earlier confirmed that geotechnical engineer and groundwater hydrologist Charles Ceres has resigned from GWI board but said this had nothing to do with him.
While this newspaper has been unable to speak to Ceres, sources had indicated that he resigned because of issues he had with Van West Charles’s management of GWI but the CEO denied this.
“No not at all… I have no conflict with Charles. He tendered his resignation to the board. I have no conflict with him,” he said.
In fact, the CEO said that while Ceres is a busy man he still depends on his engineering expertise and whenever he is available he speaks to him. “So I have no problems with him at all and I don’t think he has any problem with me,” he added.
Ceres, Nigel Hinds, Emil McGarrell, David Dewar, Christina Bissessar, Savitri Singh Sharma, Ryan Belgrave, Patricia Chase-Green, and Samantha Fedee were appointed to the board last October.
The CEO had also revealed that retired colonel Frank Bispham, who worked at GWI before, has been rehired in the security department. “This place needed security,” he said. “We have straightened out a lot of security issues. Despite the fact that you have a security company there are so many issues related to security that you have to protect.” He then said that in addition he will be attempting to have security cameras placed, especially at the water treatment sites.
“I have to make sure that the water treatment is not compromised. So you have to ensure cameras are there,” he said.
