The Guyana Association of Bankers (GAB) has publicly registered its concern and dismay at the publication of account information of embattled Permanent Secretary Omar Shariff.
In a notice in Tuesday’s Stabroek News the GAB said the “recent publication on at least two occasions of customer account information and in particular that of the August 14,2016 in Kaieteur News, has been cause for significant dismay” among its members.
This dismay has compelled the GAB to record its concern given that the publication of bank account information of any person should never occur, rather these details should be held confidential as “Confidentiality of financial information is the hallmark of bankers’ obligations to its customers.”
The notice goes on to say that while the law compels banking institutions to provide account information to certain agencies it does not remove the requirement of professional handling including confidentiality.
“Section 63 of the Financial Institutions Act (as amended by Act No. 12 of 2015) compels financial institutions to provide account information to authorized agencies. Those agencies are also bound to maintain confidentiality and only use the information provided for the purpose for which it is garnered and no other,” the GAB says in the notice.
Minister of State Joseph Harmon has said Shariff was sent on leave to facilitate the ongoing investigation into the acquisition of his personal assets and accounts. Although Harmon refused to comment on the recent revelations in the media citing the fact that the investigation is still active, a Ministry of the Presidency statement reported him as saying that the exorbitant accumulation of property and wealth, which cannot be justified by income, by any public servant, regardless of their position in the administration, would raise questions.
