Anti-corruption watchdog group Global Witness has recommended that more effort be put into the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) investigation of the awarding of the licences for the offshore Kaieteur and Canje oil blocks, saying that key participants, including former Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud, have not been questioned about the process.
The recommendation that government “redouble the efforts” is contained in the group’s recently released report, titled ‘Signed Away: How Exxon’s exploitative deal deprived Guyana of up to US$55 billion,’ in which it noted that the awards raised “red flags.”
“In particular, the government should ensure that the investigation faces no obstacles in obtaining all the evidence it requires. And if the investigation does uncover evidence of wrongdoing, those involved should be held accountable,” it adds.