Former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran says that the controversial signing bonus that the government took should be returned to ExxonMobil as it cannot be considered as legitimate.
In a letter in yesterday’s Sunday Stabroek, Goolsarran said the payment is, in his view, improper or irregular, since the only compensation the government is entitled to for the grant of a petroleum licence is in relation to the licence and other fees, royalty on production, and a share of the profits based on the Production Sharing Agreement.
“Any payment to the government outside of these cannot be considered legitimate and should be rejected’, he stated. He asked whether the government demanded the bonus or it was offered by ExxonMobil? He also asked whether the signing bonus is reflected in the agreement with ExxonMobil?
“We do not know since the