United States-based media outlet, VICE News, will on Sunday, June 19 air an episode on Guyana and it is expected that a startling interview it conducted with Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo where he was asked about bribe-taking will be included.
The Season 3 episode of VICE, titled “Guyana for Sale & Moors Rising” will be broadcast on Showtime at 8pm.
During an interview on February 1st, conducted by a VICE journalist covering various topics, Jagdeo was asked about Guyana falling several points on the Transparency International (TI) index this year.
In response, Jagdeo criticised the local Transparency Institute and then blamed the decline on acts by the APNU+AFC government following the 2018 motion of no-confidence. He also cited the five-month elections impasse among other things.
He said that he could not put his head on the block that there would be no corruption in the country.
The interviewer then asked about his government and asked him directly if he took bribes. He answered in the negative, at which point the interviewer said that she had spoken to a Chinese logger here who said that the only way to do business here was to pay bribes and as long as the Vice President was alright with this everything would be cleared.
Jagdeo in turn, vehemently rejected these suggestions and accused the interviewer of trying to catch him out and to make a developing country’s leader look corrupt. He opined that the claims being made were being levelled by anonymous persons and constituted hearsay.
However, he said that he could not put his head on the block that there would be no corruption in the country.
The Vice President challenged the interviewer to provide a name which she eventually did. She asked whether he knew a Mr. Su (the last name was not intelligible). Jagdeo appeared taken aback and he then said “yes,” that he knew Su. He went on the say that he knew Su and that Su’s father had also been known to him.
The interviewer then went on to say that Su had told them that through his broker and with the payment of bribes, deals could be cleared by the Vice President and there was no trace of the money to Jagdeo. The Vice President ridiculed the allegations stating that anyone could make up stories of that type.
He said the interviewer should ask Su about affirming the allegations and said Su would be lying if he held to them. Jagdeo said that the previous government had checked his accounts overseas and elsewhere and it was all aboveboard.
Jagdeo also said he had a long history of being open and helping investors but never for consideration. He stated American companies and others visit him and he provides as much help as he can. He said it was “unbelievably accurate” that he helped companies, but never for bribes or consideration.
When asked by the interviewer whether he would investigate the allegations that were made once details were sent to him he said yes, but then went onto say it would be better if these allegations were investigated by a body like the Integrity Commission as they would be aware of his returns. In the 18 months that the PPP/C government had been in office up to that point, it was yet to appoint commissioners to the Integrity Commission. The Commission was finally appointed two weeks ago.
Jagdeo later said that his tenant Sun Zhrirong denied to him that he told anyone what was claimed by the interviewer.
