Latest update November 26th, 2024 1:00 AM
Ramotar writes AG to defend Nandall’s use of public funds for personal benefit
By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell
Former President Donald Ramotar has admitted to Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, that he authorized former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, to utilize state funds for personal purposes. 
This was revealed after Attorney General Basil Williams forwarded a case to Sharma for investigation.
A few months ago, Williams asked the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary (PS), Indira Anandjit, to proceed on administrative leave to facilitate an audit into the disappearance of millions of dollars worth of law books and computer accessories.
Williams said that the Ministry only found out that the books were missing after the discovery by state auditors.
The Minister said that the missing Commonwealth Law Books are valued at almost $3M and the computer parts are estimated over $2M.
Williams told the media, “The PS authorized those purchases and the books cannot be found.”
He had said that he was hoping for a “plausible explanation” as to where the items have disappeared to.
Yesterday, Williams told the media that the Auditor General took a long time to respond to the Ministry. “In fact I had to inquire.”
He said that, eventually, Sharma reported that “in the case of the law books, the former President Ramotar wrote the Auditor General’s office, and stated that he and the then Attorney General had some sort of private agreement that the Attorney General would spend money from the votes of (money budgeted for) the Ministry of Legal Affairs to buy the law books and keep them for himself.”
Williams said, “As I understand it, he (Ramotar) is saying that she (the PS) is not culpable or blameworthy, because he had an agreement with Nandlall – that Nandlall could use the Ministry’s money to buy these books and keep them for himself.”
Williams said that he still cannot understand why a former President would write admitting that he was in breach of financial regulations.
The Attorney General said that Ramotar is probably depending on his presidential immunity for protection from being hauled before the courts. “But I say this… it is criminal.”
Williams emphasised that he does not accept the excuse given by Sharma.
“We do not accept that the former President could have an agreement with Nandlall to spend the state’s money for personal benefit. I do not know if being a former president he believes he has immunity.
“It is one of the strangest things you would find in any part of the world, that an agreement could be made between two government officials to spend taxpayers’ money for private purposes.”
In the interim, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Melissa Tucker, continues to act as the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary.
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