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GRA boss is in breach of “Oath of Secrecy”…Perhaps worst crime committed in modern Guyana – Nagamootoo
As its call for the resignation of the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Khurshid Sattaur
Moses Nagamootoo, AFC Vice Chairman
remains firm, Vice Chairman of the Alliance For Change, Moses Nagamootoo, has said that Sattaur’s actions constitute perhaps, the worst crime committed in modern Guyana.
Kaieteur News, on Sunday last, stated that its Publisher, Glenn Lall, is in possession of indisputable evidence of a plot by former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Sattaur, to bring down the newspaper.
That same day Sattaur issued a statement denying the plot and contended that he had a right to share information with the Head of State.
The evidence revealed by Kaieteur News featured emails between Sattaur and Jagdeo which were then shared with the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.
Sattaur via email sent to Jagdeo and then to Nandlall information on the corporate taxes paid by several media houses.
According to some lawyers, the information disclosed by the GRA Commissioner-General to Jagdeo, represents a grave breach of the ‘Oath of Secrecy’ sworn to by Sattaur as an officer of the Guyana Revenue Authority.
In taking the Oath, Sattaur solemnly swore that he would “truly, faithfully, impartially and honestly execute the powers vested in him.” He also swore not to disclose any tax information concerning any taxpayer.
In the email written by Sattaur, he asserts that Jagdeo advised him to say that “an impending major audit of the Kaieteur News” was behind the publication’s criticisms of him.
Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, at the party’s press conference held at the Georgetown Club on Friday said that he had indicated that Sattaur’s actions are obviously in breach of certain regulations. It was obviously a breach of his Oath to Secrecy.
“Though we notice that he did come with a legal argument that there are exceptions to the rule, we are still questioning who gave him the authority to go to a private citizen, that being former President Bharrat Jagdeo, to reveal to him the tax information of several media entities.
“We feel that it is such a fundamental error on his part, extraordinarily unethical and highly immoral to go leaking that kind of information to a private citizen,” the attorney at law said.
Ramjattan reiterated that he believes that the tax chief’s actions is a breach of the highest taxpayers officials duties and to that extent, he said it underscores the need for Sattaur to do the just thing and resign.
GRA Boss,
Khurshid Sattaur
He went further to state that Sattaur’s actions show the extent whereby GRA can be used as an instrument to terrorise taxpayers whether companies, proprietors of newspapers or otherwise and that it is a “rather brutal and cruel situation.”
“We need to note most importantly that there is no denial on anyone’s part as it relates to the content of the email or whether it belongs to them or not,” Ramjattan asserted.
In further support of his points, Nagamootoo expressed his abhorrence for the manner in which the tax chief sought to use his office.
“Nothing for me is more reprehensible than when one who sits to preside over the integrity of our finances and the confidentiality of information regarding people’s incomes, declarations and properties, would then choose to disclose this.
“For me, this is perhaps the worst crime that could be committed in modern Guyana and to see that the integrity of our institution that deals with finances could allow itself to terrorize people is sickening,” the AFC Vice Chairman said.
He added, “We are now involved in domestic terrorism, terrorism being launched against our own people to make them comply and in the case of Glenn Lall and his press, it would be for them to shut up and the measures being used are to gag it. Honestly speaking, he needs to resign.”
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