Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, Jermaine Figueira, says that it is important there not be even a hint of a conflict of interest in the membership of the procurement commission.
Figueira was responding to questions from Stabroek News following the disclosure that a nominee to the Public Procurement Com-mission (PPC) had since been appointed to a senior position at a company which will be creating a shore base to service the oil and gas industry.
After more than six months of deliberations, a subcommittee of the PAC settled on five names for the PPC which positions are meant to be full-time. Among those selected was Financial Analyst Joel Bhagwandin. Just days after he was announced as one of the nominees, Bhagwandin was appointed as Managing Director of TriStar, the company owned by Florida, USA-based Guyanese Kris Persaud.
Figueira was asked by Stabroek News for a comment on Bhagwandin’s appointment.
“With the advent of the oil and gas industry coupled with the Natural Resource Fund Bill that was passed, and the fund the PPP will be heavily relying on for 2022 budget, you can foresee that several projects will be funded directly or indirectly by oil money. It remains to be seen, if such public projects which the PPC has to examine, pose a conflict to his private business dealing,” the PPC Chairman said.
He added that with both the PPC Commissioner post and the PPC General Manager position requiring full-time attention it may be best to choose someone else who does not convey a perception of having a conflict and who can give dedicated time to the post that taxpayers would be paying for.
“While I’m unsure if the gentleman’s new position will present any conflict of interest, what is equally important for an institution such as the PPC, is to avoid the perception of conflict of interest,” Figueira said.
He added that if Bhagwandin’s nomination to the PPC and his subsequent appointment to the shore base company are perceived to pose a conflict, he is confident that there are many qualified Guyanese to fill the post if necessary.
Observers have said that with the rapid expansion of state contracts in the oil and gas sector, it is possible that a conflict of interest could arise where Bhagwandin might have to adjudicate at the PPC in cases that might be connected to shore bases.
Contacted by Stabroek News two Fridays ago about his appointment to the West Demerara-based company, Bhagwandin said that there will be no conflict in his two roles as TriStar has no plans to bid for government contracts.
“It is two completely different areas and there is no conflict. We [TriStar] won’t be competing for any government contracts… If TriStar was in the business of competing for government contracts it would have been a conflict and I would not have accepted the [PPC] position,” he told Stabroek News.
Bhagwandin also contended that the post of PPC Commissioner was not a full-time one as he pointed to previous commissioners who had other jobs.
“Joel is a well-known financial analyst with over fourteen years’ experience in commercial banking, the financial sector and private sector development combined. During this time, he has accumulated experience in providing financial and business advice to both large corporations and SMEs in addition to his managerial experience. Additionally, he has been actively engaged in providing the Guyanese public with insights and analyses on economic and financial issues,” TriStar said of Bhagwandin in a statement.
Rules and codes for Commissioners of the PPC had been drafted by the previous PPC and given to the then Attorney General’s Chambers for approval but that document was not returned, this newspaper understands.
For more than one year this country has been without a procurement oversight body but that hasn’t stopped the handing out of billions of dollars in contracts.
A motion is to be moved at the next PAC meeting for the names to be accepted and to be forwarded to the National Assembly. The five persons will require two-thirds support in the National Assembly.
The other nominees of the PAC to the PPC are attorney Pauline Chase, Rajnarine Singh, Berkley Wickham and Diana Rajcumar.
