Civil activist Jonathan Yearwood has written to Commissioner of Information Charles Ramson Sr requesting a copy of the contract(s) entered into by the Ministry of Housing and Water with Impressions Inc, particularly relating to the organizing of the ongoing International Building Expo.
On July 15, Stabroek News reported that Impressions Inc appeared to be the sole company of its kind selected to organise and run the ongoing International Building Expo at the Providence Stadium.
The issue of Impressions’ involvement with the Building Expo was raised at a ministerial outreach in Buxton, on July 4, when a young businesswoman had questioned why she was sent to Impressions Inc. to secure a booth at the Expo.
When asked about this issue, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal told Stabroek News that Impressions was not running the Expo, but that the ministry had set up a secretariat within the company’s building to deal with members of the public who were interested in being a part of the Expo. He cited a lack of space at the ministry for this arrangement.
When Stabroek News visited Impressions’ office to take a photograph of the secretariat, it was told that the owner, Patrick `Neal’ Sukhlal, had to give permission for it to do so. A staff member said that Sukhlal was responsible for the secretariat. Also on the Building Expo website, Impressions’ email and phone number were listed as contacts. A call to the number listed verified information that Impressions was responsible for organizing and running the Building Expo. The company is the one that exhibitors had to contact to acquire and pay for a spot.
Croal, however, a few days later told Stabroek News that Impressions was doing “branding and labelling” for the Ministry. He said that the company had been working closely with the Ministry on its ‘Dream Realised,’ project. Croal was unable to say how much Impressions was paid for these services. He also admitted that these services were not tendered for.
In response to that report, Yearwood wrote to Ramson Sr asking for copies of the relevant contracts and associated documents.
“I wish to humbly request for access to and copy of the contract(s) that the Ministry would have entered into with Impressions (also known as Impressions Branding) as relating to and relevant with the International Building Expo 2022.
“I stand ready to correct and make any change necessary to make this application meet the statutory requirements and hereby beg your kind consideration for a waiver of fess that could be due in this request. I have also taken the liberty to complete the Schedule required under the Access to Information Act 2011,” the letter related.
Yearwood, in his application, listed a number of concerns he has in relation to the arrangement between the Ministry and Impressions.
He submitted that vast sums of money are being collected and processed by a private company on behalf of a government Ministry and questioned whether the company will be utilizing its private bank account to receive and use government’s finances.
Premium packages for spots at the Building Expo were listed at $8 million, Gold packages at $5 million and Silver at $3 million. Other smaller packages were listed at $1 million, $500,000, $450,000, $380,000, $200,000, $120,000, $60,000, with the cheapest being $15,000 for a table space.
“Given that it is a private company, Government expenses will be paid for utilizing the Company’s cash and bank accounts [and] official expenses on behalf of the Government could be paid through a private entity’s account. The requirements of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act of Guyana could be bypassed. We are concerned that the Company could or would report large receipts and or payments from circumstances and transactions described by the Act,” Yearwood submitted.
Yearwood, who is also a member of the Article 13 civil society organisation, further posited that the purview of the Auditor General is limited in the current engagement the Ministry purportedly has with Impression. He added that overseas investors will be directed to conduct Government business with a private entity in relation to their participation in the Building Expo.
He reminded that the service was not tendered for and questioned whether the company is tax compliant- which would have been revealed had the project been subjected to a public tender.
“The fees being charged for the company’s services, whether transactional or otherwise [are] unknown. The treatment of the Value Added Taxes Act is questionable for the purposes of the Company’s treatment of the Expo’s income and expenditure. Whether the company will keep this (Expo) account separate from its other routine work, especially in terms of taxes, value added taxes, treatment of cash payments, issuance of passes and access, etc.
“The face and person of the President of Guyana is associated with the event, thereby risking the image of the President’s office in these transactions. There is a grave competitive disadvantage provided to other companies in Guyana. This is exacerbated by the Ministry single-handedly directing all businesses and persons to this Company as a way of marketing this company to everyone,” Yearwood stated in his application.
In the recent past, there have been complaints from similar businesses of being excluded from government contracts, even though they are capable of providing the same services as Impressions. The owner of these companies, who wished not be named for fear of victimisation, said they believe business is being given to Impressions because of ties between the company and members of the government.
Responding to those allegations, Sukhlal had told Stabroek News in June that he earns his money through hard work and aggressive marketing and not by favours from the PPP/C
