GWI terminates services of twice-convicted manager

Sep 02, 2016 News

…says “he is unqualified for the position’

A week after sending him on administrative leave, the Board of Directors of the state-owned,

Terminated: Lear Goring

Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), yesterday announced that it has decided to terminate the services of a senior manager.
In a statement, the entity disclosed that the Board of Directors, following a specially convened meeting yesterday, decided to terminate the services of Lear Goring, the Debt Recovery Manager.
“Mr. Goring was sent on administrative leave pending investigations into reports that he was not qualified for the position of Debt Recovery Manager,” GWI explained.
“The decision comes following a review of Mr. Goring’s credentials, which do not satisfy the requirements outlined for the position. It should also be noted that the decision taken was based solely on a review of his qualification for the job. The Chairman, Board of Directors and Management of GWI wish Mr. Goring all the best in his future endeavors,” the statement said.
Goring’s presence at GWI had sparked debate after it became known recently that in the 1990s, he served time twice for two separate drug trafficking convictions. In both cases, he was deported to Guyana.
Critics and sympathizers were heavily divided whether he should be given a second chance.

GWI’s head, Dr. Richard Van West Charles

He apparently submitted a clean police record when he got the job last year.
Goring came to the spotlight recently when it became known that he and GWI’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Richard Van-West Charles, were sitting as directors on a company, Atlantic Fuels Inc., which benefitted from fuel import and storage licences in November.
With questions over the licences, Guyana learnt that both men became directors just a few weeks after the May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections.
The application was made late September, days before Van West Charles took up office as Chief Executive at GWI. The licences were granted a few weeks later in November.
It was around the same time that the licences were issued by the Guyana Energy Agency that Van-West Charles, the son-in-law of former President Forbes Burnham, hired Goring as Manager of the Debt Recovery Unit. The unit had been disbanded since 2010 by the administration of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic.
Last week Monday, hours after Kaieteur News broke the story that Goring’s background was questionable for such a critical position as debt collection, GWI took a decision to send him on administration leave pending a probe by the board.
Van-West Charles, who was said to be Goring’s friend, was asked by the Board to submit a report on the circumstances how the manager was hired.

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