U.N. questions Govt’s failure to investigate reports of corruption against VP Jagdeo

Mar 19, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee CCPR on Monday during its 140^th session questioned the reason why the Government had failed to investigate reports alleging that Guyana Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo is corrupt.

The UN Human Rights Committee plays an essential role in protecting the civil and political rights of individuals in all States parties to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

On Monday US Candidate to the Human Rights Committee for the years 2023- 2026, Professor Laurence Helfer grilled the government’s representative, Gail Teixeira, the country’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, for answers on its shortcomings when it comes to transparency and investigating allegations of corrupt practices. Helfer was nominated by the United States as a candidate for the UN Human Rights Committee.  He was elected by the states parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2022 and is serving as a member of the Committee from 2023 to 2026. In posing questions about alleged corruption in Guyana Helfer said that the human rights committee understands that the current Guyana Government had dismantled the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) when it took office and  in 2020 in response to concerns about its effectiveness and asked which agency is now responsible for recovering stolen state assets.

He then followed up by pointing out that the Human Rights Committee reiterates its “request for information on measures to ensure prompt and effective investigations into allegations of corruption and the prosecution of perpetrators” before stating “The committee is aware of public frustration regarding for example the failure to investigate reports of corruption by Vice President Bharrat jagdeo”.

Helfer did not say what alleged corrupt practices Jagdeo is accused of but Teixeira in her response spoke of a Vice News article that accused him of using a Chinese businessman, , Zhi Rong Su  to “cash bribes for government contracts”.  She said, “…there was no follow-up because there was no police report made by Vice News or anybody else and so police cannot investigate without some form of report or complaint.”  “However, the VP has answered this issue publicly several times in the same media that has carried these reports”, Teixeira added.

In 2022, Jagdeo’s former friend and tenant, Zhi Rong Su implicated him (Jagdeo) in bribery and corruption. Su had disclosed to VICE News reporters posing as Chinese investors that Jagdeo took “cash bribes” for multimillion dollar contracts and that he (Su) was his middle man. VICE News on July 7, 2022 premiered a documentary with its findings. In the documentary, Jagdeo called Su “a good friend of ours” and his tenant during an interview with one of the VICE News’ reporters. However, when the full documentary was aired and Jagdeo learnt of the corruption allegations against him, he threatened to sue that same “good friend” for $50M for defaming his character but reportedly could not find him to serve the lawsuit. One year and months later, Jagdeo revealed that he had found Su. At one of his weekly press conferences he told Kaieteur News, “I-I yeah, yes it was filed and I think it should be heard very soon in court… I am hoping for an early (Court) date” before adding, “Yes he was served”.

According to legal documents seen by this publication, Jagdeo through his attorneys, Manoj Narayan and C.V. Satram, outlined that the statements made by Mr. Su that were contained in the news broadcast clearly imputed criminal and unlawful conduct on the part of the Vice President. The attorneys had described the statements made by Mr. Su as “defamatory and slanderous.” The lawsuit outlined that the said words were calculated to disparage Mr. Jagdeo personally and in the office he now holds.

According to the lawsuit, owing to the statements that were aired in the documentary, Jagdeo has suffered public condemnation, humiliation, ridicule, and embarrassment. Additionally, the legal document noted the statements have caused serious injury to the Vice President’s reputation and his political standing locally and internationally.

In Vice News undercover investigation, the Chinese businessman was recorded alleging that bribes would have to be paid to the Vice President for them to be guaranteed contracts in Guyana. He could be heard on the recording too telling the team that Jagdeo only accepts “cash.”

The documentary also showed that Su took the “fake Chinese investors to Jagdeo’s home to meet him. The documentary was viewed by thousands of Guyanese in Guyana and the diaspora.  Additionally, the extended YouTube edition of the report has attracted more than two million views to date.

Jagdeo’s defence is that he had repeatedly denied the allegations in the extended news report which was aired on the US television network Showtime and posted on YouTube. The allegations had triggered calls by a number of civil society groups and the Opposition for there to be a full independent investigation of the serious corruption allegations, which have all been denied by Vice President Jagdeo.

“Vice News came into my house to catch me doing something illegal and taking a bribe…and you couldn’t do that in my most unguarded moment…They have done this around the world with leaders they got taking bribes… they are never going to find anything of that nature with me,” Jagdeo had said.

Jagdeo had said too that he was not conducting official government business at his home but was rather meeting with an investor of Su. “Su did not get anything special here and it was not a government project, it was his investor he wanted me to meet.” Notably Su, the man Jagdeo had described in the documentary as a “friend” has amassed a significant portion of mineral-rich land under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration. Su holds some 12,000 acres of precious stones and gold-rich lands under his name. This information is provided in the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GYEITI) documents.

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• Bharrat Jagdeo, corruption, Gail Teixeira, Laurence Helfer, UN Human Rights Committee

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