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Deeds Registrar is innocent – Attorney
The Registrar of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority, Azeena Baksh who has been accused
Attorney Nigel Hughes
of corrupt practices has retained Nigel Hughes as her legal representative. Baksh is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force. It was the Ministry of Legal Affairs that put the matter in the hands of the police.
The Ministry said that staff of the Deeds Registry “called upon the Ministry of Legal Affairs to investigate their complaints of alleged financial improprieties” committed by Baksh.
According to the Ministry, the Human Resource and Accounting Departments have claimed that as Head of the Budget Agency and sole person in authority to approve and sign off the payroll of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority and one of the main signatories on the Authority’s Bank Account, the Registrar unlawfully paid herself gratuity.
It is alleged that she did this well knowing that she was a pensionable employee having been appointed by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).
“Registrar Baksh further unlawfully paid herself a higher salary than was approved by the JSC.”
Legal Affairs stated that the Deeds Registry officers have disclosed that these payments started since 2014 and continued up to the present. The payments amount to some $4.5M.
The Deeds Registry has also laid over with the Ministry of Legal Affairs documents purporting that Baksh “out of revenue due, owing and payable to the Authority in or around the sum of $8.5M, unlawfully waived the sum of $7M upon the request of an Attorney-at-Law, who paid only the sum of $1.5M.
Yesterday Hughes sought to defend his client through the media.
Via a public missive, Hughes said that in 2013, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Cabinet took a decision that all staff of the Deeds Registry who opted to transfer of the Deeds and Commercial Registry would be paid severance and would be offered gratuity.
The lawyer said that pursuant to the issuance of the cabinet memo, the staff of the Deeds and Commercial Registry were written to by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs in 2014 providing them with two options; either refuse the offer of employment with the Deeds and Commercial registry and be transferred to another Government Ministry of Department or accept employment with the Deeds and Commercial registry and receive severance under the termination and severance Act.
Deeds Registrar, Azeena Baksh
Hughes said that Baksh accepted the offer of employment with the Deeds and Commercial Registry and was paid severance in keeping with the offer from the Permanent Secretary of Legal Affairs. He noted that the payment of salaries for the staff of the Deeds Registry is prepared by the Human Resources Department and submitted to the Finance department for disbursement of salaries.
Hughes was keen to note, “Ms Baksh does not have the authority to direct the Human Resources Department or the Finance Department, to make any payment of salaries; these Departments report to the Governing Board of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority, nor has she ever authorized the Human Resources Department to place any member of the Deeds and Commercial Registry on the payroll.”
Hughes said that on Tuesday last, Baksh, on the invitation of the head of the fraud department of the CID, attended an interview at which an allegation that she had wrongfully authorized the payment of her own salary on a contract basis when she was still a member of the permanent establishment was made. Hughes said that Baksh denied the allegation and undertook to provide the police with all the documentation related to the Cabinet decision, the offer of severance and the payment of her salary.
Hughes said that on Wednesday last, Baksh returned to the CID HQ where she provided the police with copies of the Cabinet memo, the offer from the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Legal affairs and other pertinent documents.
Hughes said that no allegation of any waiver of fees or waiver of any monies due to the Registry or the government was ever put to Baksh during the interviews with the Police.
“Ms Baksh strenuously denies the allegations and will continue to provide the Guyana Police Force with all the documentation and other material to confirm her innocence.”
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