State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) Special Assistant Eric Phillips was actively representing the African Business Roundtable (ABR) as recently as June of 2018, despite claiming to have been inactive since December, 2016.
In a public statement on Monday, Phillips responded to accusations of conflict of interest, arguing that his involvement with the group, which has applied for oil block licences in 2016, did not conflict with his investigation of the questionable award of oil block licences by the former PPP/C administration shortly before the 2015 general elections.
He stated that he became inactive in the ABR in December 2016, months before his appointment to SARA in May of 2017, and stressed that “the only conflict of interest is at the level of perception not in substance.”
However, letters written by Phillips after 2016 identify him first as President of the ABR and then as an Executive.
A letter signed by Phillips and published by Stabroek News on January 24, 2017, identifies him as President of the ABR. In the letter, headlined “Guyana should decide on a small modular refinery,” Phillips advises government to make its own decisions in relation to the possible establishment of an oil refinery rather than have “Foreigners…tell us what decision to make.”
A news report, published on June 2nd, 2018 under the headline “Green Economy expo to focus on women, youth entrepreneurs,” identified Phillips as an Executive of the ABR. Other reports from that year identified him as the president of the ABR, which he represented at several forums.
Stabroek News contacted Phillips for a response but was told that he was “not answering questions” as he was in a meeting. He advised that he might better be able to respond if contacted today.
In addition to claiming that he was an inactive member of the roundtable, Phillips has stressed that the ABR’s application was not approved.
He stressed that Dr Clive Thomas, who heads SARA, would have never entrusted him with such an investigation, if he were the owner of an oil block.
The Integrity Commission (Amendment of Code of Conduct) Order 2017 stipulates that “a conflict of interest arises where a public official makes or participates in the making of decision in the execution of his or her office and at the same time knows or ought to have reasonably have known, that the making of that decision, there is material beneficial opportunity either directly or indirectly to further his or her private interest or that of a member of his or her family or any other person or entity.”
It further states that a person in public life shall, in order to protect and uphold the public interest, take reasonable steps to avoid, resolve and disclose any material conflict of interest, financial or non-financial, that arises or is likely to arise, between his or her personal interest and his or her official duties; declare any conflict of interest in writing to the relevant authority as soon as possible after becoming aware of the conflict of interest; and refuse or relinquish any outside employment, shareholding or directorship which create conflict.
Observers say that Phillips being entrusted to investigate an arrangement which could have had similarities to ABR’s proposal is unacceptable and it is still unclear whether SARA had been aware of his initial participation in the ABR proposal.
