Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson yesterday said that the US$9000 that was deposited into his account in 2017 was a reimbursement for his attendance at a conference in China and he expressed worry at the ability of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to access his personal information.
Patterson provided an explanation via his Facebook page one day after the PPP posted the information on social media. In a Facebook post on Thursday, the party said “In February of 2017, US$9000 was deposited by China International Contractors into the personal bank account of Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson.”
The minister in his post said that in April 2016, via the Chinese Embassy in Guyana an invitation was extended to him to attend and make a presentation at the 7th International Investment and Construction Forum in Macao, China. A copy of the invitation was attached to the post.“The organizers committed to reimburse travel related expenses up to US$10,000. Cabinet permission was sought and received. The advance for the trip was paid by MARAD (Maritime Administration Depart-ment,” he said.
According to Patterson, he attended the conference, and sometime in 2017, a refund for his travels was processed and paid to him as the attendee. He said that he promptly remitted the money to MARAD. “This is not an unusual practice with regard to reimbursements for international travel,” he stressed.
“What is deeply worrying is that the fact that the PPP has illegally sought and obtained access to my personal financial details from a bank used by me or an agency that receives such information,” he said adding that he has instructed his lawyers to take the necessary legal actions against any offending party.
