Regional Housing Officer sent on leave to facilitate probe into corruption allegation

Aug 15, 2017 News

Region Two’s Regional Housing Officer, (RHO) Omesh Sasenaryan has been sent on administrative leave pending a probe into allegations of corruption.

According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, (CH&PA) Lelon Saul, reports have indicated that Sasenaryan came under police investigations after it was alleged that he unlawfully collected $50,000 and issued a forged receipt for a house lot.

During a press briefing at the CH&PA headquarters, Brickdam, Georgetown yesterday, Saul told media operatives that the RHO was sent on leave pursuant to the report.

He explained that investigations are ongoing in the incident to determine whether the matter is isolated or a pattern of corrupt practices. “

Given the circumstances, the CH&PA official reminded that aggrieved consumers are encouraged to report matters relating to corruption to the Authority’s Headquarters.

To minimize incidence of corruption, Saul noted that except for the main office in Georgetown and Regional Housing Office in Linden “all payments must be made at Regional Democratic Council, RDC offices at Region Two, Three, Five, Six and Nine.”

Moreover, Saul noted that persons should not enable corruption of officers of the CH&PA by offering them inducement. He explained that to ensure corruption is kept at bay, the entity’s offices are closely monitored thoroughly, through regular inspections by the audit office.

Additionally, he said that “managers will be visiting the offices at least once monthly and reports submitted by the officers.”

The CEO stressed that every effort is made to stamp out corruption.

Saul said that the CH&PA is a public entity and the hallmark of public service is integrity.

He stressed that “our employees are paid by the State to do their job and you do not need to pay them”

“All cases of corruption will be thoroughly investigated and those found wanting will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The CEO emphasized that it is towards this end, the CH&PA has upped the ante on the fight against corruption.

Just last year, a Board Member of the CHPA charged with investigating suspicious transactions to the tune of billions of dollars, threatened to resign over what he believed was the reluctance by the administration to deal with corruption.

The official, Mark Jacobs headed a committee that has been investigating several projects and transactions, including the 1,000-homes project and the housing schemes along the East Bank Demerara, especially. The committee also probed several hundreds of acres of lands between Eccles to Grove that have been sold under questionable arrangements to private developers.
Jacobs’ committee reported that it had stumbled upon billions of dollars in fraud, mismanagement and corruption at CH&PA.

“The little that we’ve found is only the tip of the iceberg, as we are not privy to information and details on many important transactions and dealings of CH&PA and we are (yet) not in receipt of an audit report,” Jacobs wrote.

“We have recommended at Committee level that a number of persons be sent on administrative leave and that legal advice be sought for recovering stolen assets and instituting criminal charges against officers and others within the agency responsible for these known illegal activities.”