Oil and Corruption... Guyana can push for Audit Office to check officials’ emails - University of Houston Instructor

Oil and Corruption… Guyana can push for Audit Office to check officials’ emails – University of Houston Instructor

Jan 23, 2020 News

While corruption is not unique to the oil sector, there are numerous examples around the world which prove that it is without question, one of the

University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro

most tempting avenues for secret deals and cockishness. Kaieteur News would have highlighted that in Nigeria for example, its former Oil Minister, Dan Etete, made every effort to direct over US$1.1B away from the national coffers to a special account he opened overseas.
The authorities were able to prove this, and more importantly, recover this sum that was paid for an oil block in 2011 using leaked emails between the government officials and the oil companies involved in the corrupt deal.
Upon considering this, University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro, says Guyana can use this as its premise to push for the Audit Office to include as part of its work, the audit of officials’ email.
During an interview with Kaieteur News, Mitro said that obviously, this intention by citizens to push for this to be done would put the companies on notice that they need to be transparent in dealings via email. He was keen to note as well that with the release of the emails, some difficulties may be encountered.
The industry expert said, “There might be a few problems with disclosing all emails. For one, there may be so many it would be almost impossible for one to go through them all and figure them out. And the email with the illegal dealings might not be with the operator, it is more likely to be with one of the subcontractor companies. And there are probably hundreds of those…”
Further, he was keen to note that quite often, the best source of information on an illegal deal is someone who was initially involved in the deal but felt that they were cheated. Another source is obviously an honest representative from the government or the company who becomes a whistleblower.
Even as the foregoing are considered, Mitro said that an alternative may be for Guyanese to push for the Audit Office to have the right to audit emails as part of its general audit of books and activities.