US$35.4M E- ID contract ‘a done deal’

Apr 13, 2023 News

…Guyana risks litigation if single-sourced contract is cancelled- Nandlall

Kaieteur News – Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC has said that there is no turning back from the US$35.4M contract signed for the implementation of the Single Electronic Identification System.

The Attorney General (AG) was at the time addressing the mounting calls by the main opposition parties and some civil society groups for the single sourced contract to be cancelled.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall , SC

The Government has been accused of handpicking the German contractor Veridos for the project, based on the recommendation of Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates, who was involved in the sale of the controversial Sputnik vaccines to Guyana.

During his most recent “Issues in the News” programme, Nandlall lamented the legal consequences the country could face if it were to cave to calls to terminate the sole-sourced US$35.4M contract with Veridos.

“The contract has been signed, and therefore, it cannot be unilaterally cancelled. That would amount to the [Guyana] government breaching the contract and that would attract liabilities and would put the government in a terrible position,” Nandlall said.

In response to the critics, the Attorney General said there is a likelihood of lawsuits the administration and the country could be slapped with if the contract is unilaterally cancelled.

The AG noted that while citizens have a right to publicly express their displeasure with government action, they must be accurate in their assessments and, more importantly, responsible.

He said that by calling for a cancellation of the contract, those persons are advocating for a law-abiding government to violate the sanctity of a binding document.

Further, Nandlall defended the sole-sourced deal by stating that the contract was awarded in keeping with international best practices.

“So, these calls will not only put the country in legal trouble but will also have an impact on the international standing of the government. It would impose an image upon the government as one with a track record of breaching contracts it enters into with international and local trading partners. The country’s reputation could suffer internationally,” he said.

He continued “It is my respectful view and the view of the government, that those conditionalities were met in this instance…This card will contain information of national importance peculiar to each citizen, and these are matters of sufficient importance to be considered matters of national security.”

Moreover, the Attorney General said, “Significantly, the Procurement Act permits single sourcing, whenever, the goods or the services that is being procured involves matters of national security. It is the government’s view that this card, that will store important personal data of the citizenry of this country will contain information of national importance peculiar to each citizen, is a matter…of national security.”

“What constitutes a matter of national importance is an issue for the Executive to determine because it is within the bosom of the Executive that lies the responsibility to protect national interest, national security, and the defence of Guyana and its citizens. And the Executive has a made a determination that this is a matter that qualifies to be accorded that cover.”

He has assured that the legislative framework will be put in place ahead of the implementation of the project. The project, which is scheduled to be completed within 12 months, will see citizens and residents of Guyana being issued with a single e-ID card to conduct various transactions in the both the public and private sector.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Anil Nandlall, Attorney General, Minister of Legal Affairs, SC h, Veridos

Latest News