Latest update April 13th, 2025 6:34 AM
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- Hess’ lifting cost per barrel in Guyana only $US7
- ExxonMobil billed Guyana US$120 million for exploration in 2024- Annual Report reveals
- Over 1,560 killed since Israel broke Gaza truce
- RSS team begins investigation into shooting death of Linden men
- Security guard shoots two brothers who stabbed him during row at supermarket
City Hall’s non-tender awards should be investigated
Dear Editor,
CITY HALL has awarded non-tender contracts to three new garbage companies. This event should send out alarm bells ringing at all levels of the media. Awarding such contracts is a huge problem for this country. It is a major source of corruption. In every one of these non-tender selections of contractors for whatever services (drug storage bonds, garbage collections, road repairs etc.) the govt. of the day selects their “friends” and favour them with a lucrative contract. No transparency whatsoever! And, in every one of these contracts, the Company pays “kickbacks” (usually a fixed percentage).
These kickbacks may end up in the pockets of top folks in the govt. who steer the contracts to their “friends/partners” – some of these companies become the financiers for the party’s next elections’ campaign. I can prove my theory easily. Identify the “facilitating Ministers” in the govt. – and look at their assets at the end of 5-years. They will all own showpiece million dollar assets and investments.
The value of their known assets will have no relationship to their salaries. Some Ministries because of the nature of their portfolios – Natural Resources (contracts to Oil and gold mining, Lumbar Companies); Communications (contracts to laying fiber optic cables, satellite/wireless communications); Works and Hydraulics (contracts to build and repair roads, kokers, stellings) – become facilitating vehicles for the Ministers in charge to become multi-millionaires in a very short period of time. An effective Tender Board and United States RICO-type Laws are the only known anti-dote to stop corruption in these areas.
A Criminal Investigation Dept. (CID) for white collar crimes practically doesn’t exist in Guyana. (RICO, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act provides for extended criminal penalties that usually lead to confiscations of all the gains from the bribery schemes).
Mike Persaud
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