Maurice Arjoon matter still cries out for justice

Nov 20, 2016 News

The matter of Maurice Arjoon, former Chief Executive Officer of the New Building Society, which began nine years ago still warrants that justice is served in favour of Arjoon who along with two other managers of NBS

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo (right), Janick Arjoon (2nd right) and Maurice Arjoon (3rd right) during the August visit.

were charged for fraud.
This was the view of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Thursday while answering a question posed to him by this newspaper on the future of the issue at the Alliance for Change’s press conference.
Nagamootoo said that a motion had been submitted to parliament by two backbenchers on the government side. He said that on a previous occasion the motion had been submitted months ago but might not have got on the order paper or the notice paper.
He said that this was the predicament since there was a pending case in the court and the Speaker of the House advised that the House should be mindful of the sub judice rule which states that once a matter is engaging the attention of the court it could not be ventilated in the Assembly.
He said, “The two members have since come to me and asked what should we do? And I said well, table the motion again and ask for a debate on its admissibility. Let the Speaker rule in the National Assembly that this is sub judice, that it cannot be discussed but it would allow the person moving the motion to say a few things that would get into the Hansard.”
The Prime Minister and Vice-Chairman of the AFC said that the motion addresses a matter which cries out for justice.
When contacted on the issue, Mr. Arjoon said that the Ombudsman’s report which confirmed that he and two managers were wrongfully charged and suffered a grave injustice, was sent to Parliament by the Ombudsman, at the time Retired Justice Winston Moore over two years ago, after then President Donald Ramotar did not act on the report.
He said, “Since then, I have been fighting to have this report addressed in Parliament and the Ombudsman’s recommendations considered. I continue to hope that this government will address the report and act accordingly.”
Arjoon and his colleagues, assistant Mortgage Manager Kissoon Baldeo, and Operations Manager Kent Vincent, along with other employees were charged in a $69M fraud case at NBS in 2006.
The money reportedly belonged to Bibi Khan. The case was in the court for a number of years before charges were finally discharged. The former CEO then moved to file a $2M lawsuit against the People’s Progressive Party Civic government for malicious prosecution. The suit was dismissed since the offence could not have been properly established.
When the charges were laid against Arjoon he was on the verge of retirement and was dismissed. Arjoon has claimed that he was framed after he refused to illegally endorse the lending of $2B in 2006. The former CEO’s decision to only lend $350M in keeping with Guyana’s financial laws apparently angered former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who allegedly threatened to deal with the CEO.
The trio then lodged a complaint at the office of the Ombudsman. In his report on the matter, Moore concluded that the men had suffered a “grave injustice”.
Arjoon, on August 18, last, met with the Prime Minister on the matter but no positive action has been taken. However, based on the comments by Nagamootoo on Thursday the government continues to acknowledge the injustice which the matter attracted and will see to it that justice is given a chance.

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