If elected to office, the new Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes will have to sever ties with his law firm that currently provides services to ExxonMobil and other oil companies, according to former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran.
Writing in his `Accountability Watch’ column in yesterday’s Stabroek News, Goolsarran addressed the question of the conflict of interest which has arisen since Hughes was elected as the new leader of the AFC.
“Avoiding conflicts of interest is essential to the practice of good governance, especially in the public sector which exists to provide various services to the public. It is the quality of those services and putting the public interest above all other interests that are of paramount importance. While there are various ways of mitigating the effects of conflict of interest, eliminating conflict of interest in its entirety is perhaps the best course of action in order to win the confidence of the public.
“In the case of Mr. Hughes, there is no conflict of interest at the moment. However, once elected to public office, such as becoming a legislator, a Minister, or the President, he will have to sever ties with his law firm that provides legal services to ExxonMobil and other oil and gas companies operating in Guyana”, Goolsarran said.
He added that Hughes’ recusal from consideration of oil and gas matters would not suffice.
“We do not believe that recusal will be enough to allay fears of an apparent conflict of interest. Mr. Hughes needs to act now in order to win the confidence of citizens that their best interest vis-à-vis those of the oil and gas companies to which his law firm is associated, will be properly taken care of. He ought to be aware of the serious concerns of a wide cross section of the population as regards the Petroleum Sharing Agreement between Exxon and the Government of Guyana which undoubtedly is overwhelming weighted in favour of the U.S. oil giant”, Goolsarran said.
He also asserted that Hughes will have to lay out his position on the renegotiating of the controversial 2016 Production Sharing Agreement between Guyana and ExxonMobil.
“Sooner rather than later, Mr. Hughes will need to state unequivocally whether, once elected to public office, he will seek to renegotiate the Agreement to ensure that Guyana gets a greater share of the revenues derived from the extraction of oil resources. After all, the natural resources of a country belong to all of its citizens, present and future, and should be exploited in such a manner that they enjoy the maximum possible benefit from such resources”, Goolsarran said.
