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TPL $80M fine… President ‘ordered company to pay up or no TSA restoration’

Aug 30, 2008 News

President Bharrat Jagdeo has ordered that Toolsie Persaud Limited pay the $80M fine imposed by the Guyana Forestry Commission for breaches at its Manaka Logging Concession
On Thursday, an official from the company told Kaieteur News that the entity had decided to pay the fine instead of waiting on the President’s decision.
However, yesterday the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) confirmed that the company made out post-dated cheques to the commission after the president made his final decision.
President Jagdeo met with senior officials from Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL) on August 11 last, and pronounced that the company would be allowed to continue operations provided that it submitted post-dated cheques, payable to the GPC, on or before December 31, 2008.
Since then, a total sum of eighty million, two hundred and eighty-nine thousand one hundred dollars ($80,289,100.00) was paid over to the commission via six post-dated cheques.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Guyana Forestry Commission said that following the submission of the post-dated cheques, a commitment was made by the management of TPL to adhere to the GFC guidelines.
As such, the commission said the GFC has since fully re-instated the operations of TPL at the Manaka Logging Concession.
On April 23 last, following numerous but futile discussions with senior management of TPL to amicably resolve the matter, GFC closed the harvesting operations of the company.
As a consequence, the company moved to the High Court and the court ruled in TPL’s favour on June 30.
On July 23 last, the Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud wrote to the Managing Director of the timber company informing him that the entity’s TSA was suspended with immediate effect.
The Minister further advised the company that a detailed report of the breaches committed by TPL was submitted to President Jagdeo for his final pronouncement on the matter.
All defaulting companies have until the end of September to submit post-dated cheques for their outstanding balances.
Should the fines not be paid, then companies will not have their Timber Sales Agreement or Wood Cutting Licences (WCL) renewed.
Yesterday, the commission said that it is urging all stakeholders to be reminded that the utilization of the State Forest resources must be done in compliance with the collaboratively established guidelines for Sustainable Forest Management.
In this regard, the GFC has been mandated to work in partnership with all stakeholders, but will fully enforce the forestry legislation on all defaulters. (Tusika Martin)

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