Admitting that there is a record of him enquiring about the price of gold shortly before leaving for Canada, former government Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandass Persaud has defended his actions saying it was for his clients.
“I have clients, who are still looking for gold and so I was negotiating with a couple of dealers, finding out the price, what it will take if you buy it in Guyana or if they ship it and we pay for it and we receive it in Canada. That is what I was doing, so I went to two dealers. (A government official) went to one of them on Robb Street and took the man’s computer. What is wrong with making enquiries?” Persaud told a Town Hall teleconference, held in Queens, New York, at which he was a guest, via phone. The meeting also had Financial Analyst, Sasenarine Singh, as a guest and about 25 persons attending.
Persaud said that he sees nothing criminal in asking about the price of gold as it is an act that many people in Guyana would undertake. “They said I wanted to buy gold. What is wrong with a piece of gold? Anyone of you would love a piece of gold, raw gold, from one of the miners so you could make jewellery for your son, wife or grandson,” he said.