One year after tabling in National Assembly…Ombudsman report on wrongfully accused former NBS boss still to be debated

Jul 17, 2016 News

More than one year after it was tabled in the National Assembly, the report of Ombudsman Justice (Rtd) Winston Moore on the complaints made by dismissed former New building Society, (NBS) Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) Maurice Arjoon, are still to be debated.

Dismissed NBS boss, Maurice Arjoon

The former (CEO), Kissoon Baldeo of 86 Zeeburg West Coast Demerara (Assistant Mortgage Manager of NBS), and Kent Vincent of 1247 Canje Pheasant Lane, South Ruimveldt (Operations Manager), were accused of conspiracy to defraud the NBS of $69M.
The charge against the men was later dismissed on the grounds of lack of evidence.
However, the stain on the men’s lives and that of their families remained. They have been fighting for years to clear their names and to receive their benefits ever since.
In 2014, Arjoon filed a complaint with Ombudsman, Justice Winston Moore. The Ombudsman’s report concluded that police wrongly charged the former CEO and two of his managers for fraud. The Ombudsman forwarded his report to Parliament in November 2014.
The matter was tabled in the National Assembly last June, but the conclusion appears to be nowhere in sight; the parliamentary debates are yet to commence.
Yesterday, Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, confirmed that the matter is not on the order paper to be presented for debates in Parliament anytime soon.
Isaacs said that matter is still before Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland for consideration.
According to Isaacs, the Speaker, who is also an Attorney-at-law by profession, is expected to determine whether the issue is sub judice (under judicial consideration and therefore prohibited from public discussion elsewhere) since Arjoon also has a case before the court challenging the wrongful dismissal by NBS.
A frustrated Arjoon is nonetheless of the opinion that the argument of the matter being sub judice is a deliberate ploy to deny him justice.
The former CEO noted that a few months ago, a letter was written by the Attorney representing NBS in the court case outlining that the matter was sub judice .
“When will it be debated?” is the question now being asked by the former CEO New Building Society Manager. Arjoon had told Kaieteur News that on October 1, 2015, he wrote President David Granger explaining how he was denied justice. He said that he asked for the report to be addressed in parliament.
He called for compensation and “prosecution of the perpetrators of this criminal act.” The letter to the President was copied to Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo and other ministers.
President Granger replied to Arjoon indicating that he had sent the matter to Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who is the Leader of the House, for his consideration.

Speaker of National Assembly,
Barton Scotland

In April Nagamootoo assured that the report of the Ombudsman into a complaint of injustice by a former top executive of NBS would be raised in the National Assembly. The report was laid in the National Assembly on July 30, last year.
The report points to a grave injustice done to Mr. Maurice Arjoon, the former NBS Chief Executive, who was not only charged with other colleagues, but was callously removed from his job mere months before his retirement.
The report revealed that Mr. Arjoon was a victim of a vendetta involving high functionaries of the previous government and its agencies, who punished the executive for opposing a $2B loan for a public-private project.
The Prime Minister said nonetheless that the report made no specific recommendations on how to proceed with it in the National Assembly
Nagamootoo had said that he has been looking at the Ombudsman report but “cannot make a conclusion.”
He said that the report is not clear on what should be done or “if the parliament should do something. I am looking for verification.”
The government’s stance has been highly criticized by former Auditor General and anti–corruption advocate, Anand Goolsarran.
He said that sort of laid back attitude just cannot be accepted. Goolsarran said that if the Prime Minister indeed thinks he lacks direction then the logical approach would be to call the Ombudsman and seek such guidance.
“What sort of laid back approach is that? I do recall that he spoke passionately about the Maurice Arjoon case and stamping out character assassination. What is that passion being translated to now? We need to see meaningful action,” Goolsarran questioned.

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