When the RHVE Consortium’s audit is completed, it should reflect that ExxonMobil credited the cost bank $263,899 for a number of charges including its public relations work, since the IHS Markit audit had revealed that the company promised to do so in 2020, as those expenses are not recoverable.
“Charges coded to ‘InternlChrg, Serv, Staff, Public Affairs’ are not cost recoverable. EEPGL [Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited] have stated that they will apply a credit of $263,899 to the Cost Bank in 2020,” the audit report stated.
That agreement by the ExxonMobil subsidiary was highlighted in the audit which covered expenses for the period 1999 – 2017. The IHS audit report found among other things that the government can contest US$214.4 million in claims by ExxonMobil, which translates to 12.8% of the US$1.67 billion in expenses claimed by ExxonMobil and partners for the period.