Eleven contracts worth $101.6m for ink toners and cartridges were apparently split by GECOM to avoid Cabinet scrutiny and awarded to the same supplier according to a special investigation by the Office of the Auditor General, which also cited instances where the items appeared not to have been needed and contracts being signed after the supply of goods.
This report on the toners and cartridges obtained by Stabroek News will raise further questions about procurement practices at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). It comes on the heels of another on radio sets which found serious breaches of procurement rules and advised that the police be called in. This report which was submitted by the Auditor General on September 29, 2017 to Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield in relation to the purchase of toners in the years 2015 and 2016 also advised that the police be called in for a deeper examination and for criminal charges to be brought where necessary.