Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton has renewed his call for President Irfaan Ali to fire Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and bring in a team of “independent and credible” investigators to probe the claims of corruption contained in VICE News broadcasts.
The renewed call came one day after President Ali told Stabroek News that the allegations of money laundering and bribery schemes in exchange for investment opportunities “should be investigated by security agencies”.
The allegations of corruption and money laundering by Chinese nationals operating in Guyana came to the fore in two video reports from VICE News – a US-based investigative news agency.
Jagdeo was implicated as the main government contact for the Chinese nationals to secure access to lucrative contracts as well as safeguard their investments here. He has vehemently denied the allegations.
On Monday, President Ali, while responding to questions from Stabroek News on the sidelines of the opening of the National Toshaos Conference, acknowledged that an investigation is warranted.
He said “What is clear, there are some people there who are saying they are involved in such activities… if you look at the video and that definitely requires an investigation… And I’m hoping… the relevant security and relevant agencies are looking at this because it is clear that someone says they are involved.”
Jagdeo on Tuesday told Stabroek News that foreigners who admit breaking the laws should “face the consequences.”
“If people break our law and they admit to breaking our laws they should face the consequences, that is all,” Jagdeo declared
At his weekly press conference on Tuesday, the Opposition Leader renewed his call for President Ali to terminate the services of his Vice President.
“The President’s call for law enforcement to investigate Jagdeo rings hollow. In a democratic society, Jagdeo must be fired to pave the way for an independent investigation. The President could only be taken seriously if he fires the Second Vice President and he invites independent and credible investigators to deal with the allegations of bribery and corruption and allow the law to take its course,” Norton said.
Norton added that the government is using everything in its power to distract Guyanese from the allegations against Jagdeo and called on persons to remain vigilant and ensure that the claims are investigated.
The Opposition Leader also said that he remains in dialogue with the international community to add pressure on the government to further investigate the claims and allegations levelled against Jagdeo.
“I would say to you that we continue to engage the international community and the engagement to the international community is not only specific to things like bribery but there is also a general breakdown in the rule of law…corruption is on the increase. So we have to deal with all of these issues, and put them before the international community. We have Guyanese both at home and abroad that are drawing attention to these matters and we will continue to do our work
“In the next week or so, I will be engaging the international community. I won’t say, specifically, which members in the community, but I have at least three engagements coming shortly and all of these matters will be dealt with as we move forward. But they also say this too, we’re doing considerable work on the ground in the villages, etc because while the international community can play its role, it is the people of Guyana who will determine what happens here,” Norton lamented.
The VICE News video report released on Thursday last, contained revelations from Chinese businessmen operating in Guyana, admitting to money laundering and paying bribes to government officials in exchange for lucrative contracts. The docu-series was an extended version of VICE News’ original video report, ‘Guyana For Sale’, which examined the operations of Chinese businesses in the country and challenged Vice President Jagdeo on government corruption. Jagdeo has since vehemently denied the insinuations against him and has said that he intends to sue the middleman who made the claims.
In the new docu-series, Chinese businessmen can be heard openly admitting to paying bribes and utilising middlemen to secure deals. The bribes, which are paid to the middlemen, are described as “consulting fees.” The Chinese businessmen also admit to having access to money launderers who operate within their network to facilitate swift money transfers. VICE News journalist, Isobel Yeung and her undercover colleague (who is referred to as ‘Mr. Chan’), in the series posed as ‘investors’ whose declared interests are in the mining, logging and construction sectors. Yeung explained that this was done to unearth the “corrupt deals” in business transactions.
The government and its supporters have all accused Yeung of having an “agenda” and questioned her reporting.
