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What conflict of interest with Hughes, Fields and Stoby
Dear Editor,
I read with great interest a front page story in the Stabroek News under the rubric “Transparency Body sees major conflict of interest for Hugheses on oil”.
I do not see much of a conflict of interest through Cathy Hughes, the wife of Nigel Hughes, senior partner of the law firm of Hughes, Fields and Stoby which firm has recently announced that it will set up an office in Texas.
Although Mrs. Hughes is a Minister of government, she does not have the portfolio in the oil and gas sector. In fact it was recently announced that the oil and gas sector will be managed or overseen by the Petroleum Division of the Ministry of the Presidency which is under the port folio of Joseph Harmon. It was removed from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
In any event, conflict of interest in the legal field is not new in Guyana. Before the country became independent when Cheddi Jagan was Premier, Sase Narain, a Solicitor, who was close to the PPP leader at that time, had the monopoly and made millions of dollars as legal advisor to the then British Guiana Credit Corporation.
He handled hundreds of mortgages and after independence under Forbes Burnham leadership nearly all the legal work was channelled to the firm of Clarke and Martin — the law firm which was founded by Burham while he was a practising Barrister, and Eric Clarke a Solicitor.
I worked with the firm from its inception, first as a clerk for many years and as a qualified attorney from 1979. I served as an associate until I left Guyana for the Caribbean islands. I must say that there were several conflicts for the firm to be the legal advisor to nearly all the government corporations. There were cases involving one corporation against another.
I recall that there was a collision between a Guyana Transport Service bus and a Guysuco truck carrying workers at Wales Estate, West Bank Demerara where eleven persons died and several were serious injured.
The driver of the bus was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and there were a number of lawsuits filed by the relatives of the deceased as well from the injured persons (occupants from both the sugar workers truck and the passenger bus).
I, on behalf of the firm, handled nearly all the matters including the causing death case and to crown it both vehicles were insured with GCIS (Guyana Co-operative Insurance Services) and Clarke and Martin was the legal advisor for that government Insurance company.
After 1992 when the PPP took office, the government’s legal work was shared among the lawyers who supported the new government – including Moen Mc Doom, Ashton Chase and Ralph Ramkarran for a short period. Those are the facts…
Oscar Ramjeet
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