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Ombudsman’s Office without investigators
— manages to resolve 37 of 87 cases in two years
Kaieteur News – In its 2020 Annual Report, the Office of the Ombudsman, which is headed by retired Justice Winston Patterson, complained of being without investigators to carry out field investigations.
Ombudsman Justice, Winston Patterson.
According to the report, the situation has been ongoing for several years, with the Public Service Ministry previously committing to appoint an investigator.
This promise however, has never materialised. As such, the report noted that out of some 87 complaints received between 2019 and 2020, only 37 were resolved.
Of the 87 complaints, 64 were within the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman’s Office while 28 of them are still pending with the relevant authorities and 23 were out of the jurisdiction of the office. There are six categories under which complaints fall – justified, unjustified, resolved, declined, assistance rendered and referrals.
The complaints include allegations of injustice, corruption and wrongful dismissal by, and against members of the Guyana Police Force, outstanding benefits for retired employees of the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), denial of old-age pension from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and wrongful dismissal from the Guyana Defence Force, among others.
The report noted that many of the complaints received, were made by persons who walked in seeking advice and assistance.
As a result, much time was spent interviewing complainants, giving on the spot advice and if necessary, referring complainants to the relevant authorities on matters which were not within the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
The Ombudsman Office was established to guarantee the protection of citizens against abuse and misuse of power but the absence of an investigator has hampered the work of the Office. Lamenting the state of affairs, Justice (ret’d) Patterson also revealed that the Police Commissioner was among those officials who failed to reply to his correspondence, although two or more reminders were sent. The other agencies included the NIS and Commissioner of Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
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