Latest update November 26th, 2024 12:56 AM
Recycling MoU….Minister’s daughter resigns from company
Natural Globe Inc yesterday announced that the daughter of the Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster, Andrianna, has resigned from the company.
Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster
The Minster’s daughter, according to the President of the company, Mohamed Osman, had alleged that the Minister’s daughter was the investor bringing some US$15million to the project which cost US$30million. The Minister and her daughter both denied Osman’s claim.
Yesterday the company said that subsequent to the speculation and misinformation by certain members of the fourth estate in this country, it resulted in the ministry retracting this memorandum.
The company noted that at the outset, it must be understood that this was exactly as stated, a Memorandum of Understanding, and as such contained no contractual commitment on the part of either of the parties. They said that it was more like a document clearly stating the terms and conditions necessary to effect a mutual agreement between the two parties and the time line to complete an end agreement.
According to the company, it had submitted its proposal along with eight other companies. Natural Globe Inc. said that all proposals were duly investigated and its proposal was chosen based entirely on “its merit”, and, presumably, by the fact that the Natural Globe proposal was the only one studied that had no financial impact on the taxpayers.
The company stressed that no time during this process was any value received by any of the officials of the Ministry or any political party members to assure an advantage or acceptance of our proposal.
“Throughout this process, allegations were made that the Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, was somehow involved with Natural Globe and had a hand in the acceptance of our proposal. By her own admission and her statement to the press, this is clearly not the case” the company said.
The company said that Andrianna Webster was however legally registered as a director of the company.
Mohamed Osman
“Webster is exceptionally good at what she does and as such, is a valued associate…Webster was a director of Natural Globe Guyana Inc. but was not a shareholder nor had she any financial involvement in the company.” The speculation that her involvement had any impact on the granting of the Memorandum or that she had access to the kind of investment needed is absurd.
The company said that subsequent to the speculation and misinformation by certain members of the fourth estate in this country, it resulted in the ministry retracting this memorandum.
“The project will be financed internally through a private equity investment programme. We are not asking, nor do we expect, any contributions from the public purse. This is purely a business opportunity with normal expectations of profitability.”
Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) said yesterday that it welcomed the government’s decision to rescind the Memorandum of Understanding for the construction of a solid waste recycling plant amid certain concerns raised by the media.
According to the group it was refreshing to learn that the Government has accepted perhaps for the first time that it has erred in its decision on the matter.
Moreover, TIGI said that this is also an indication that the Government is acknowledging that it no longer considers itself to have possessed the only reservoir of knowledge to make decisions that affect the citizens of the country. “The episode highlights the need for involvement of various interest groups before important decisions are made” TIGI stressed.
It also highlights the deficiencies of current processes in relation to procurement and reinforces the need for operationalising the constitutionally-mandated Public Procurement Commission.
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