Unite against Corruption

Nov 10, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Lorenzo Joseph (United Workers Party (UWP) Activist), on Nov 07, 2025, asked “Why the Silence on “Guyanese Critic” and the Missing Millions?” He inquires, “As a citizen and activist who believes in fairness and accountability, (that he is) deeply disturbed by the recent revelations in the Auditor General’s 2024 Report on the Public Accounts of Guyana (showing that) the Government is still to recover $121.7 million from Tepui Group Inc., a company owned by social media commentator Mikhail Rodrigues, widely known as “Guyanese Critic.”

To the many Lorenzos of Guyana, both home and abroad, on behalf of the PPP/C Government, I say ‘So what?” “What you gonna do about it?” “We run tings?”

First off, I invite Guyanese to query the Tepui Group Inc… like get to understand why it came into being. You will discover it is most neoteric, and conveniently so, as its origin was in anticipation of and to facilitate collusive Government/PPP/C contracts. So, it is no wonder that this notorious Tepui Group Inc. has already been linked to at least two government contracts, both of which have rightfully drawn significant scrutiny. Look at these details please.

Firstly, there was the Belle Vue Pump Station construction: This controversial contract, initially valued at $865.544 million (later adjusted to $870.564 million), was awarded in August/September 2023. The contract was eventually rescinded by the government due to extensive delays and lack of progress. So, maybe according to plans, another company, Gaico Engineering, took over the project as a ‘subcontractor.’ Please note that a ‘subcontractor’ took over and too many have the case where ‘Fraudulent Schemes,’ involving corrupt individuals, have set up “dummy” companies to receive inflated payments for work that is then “subbed out” at a much lower cost, with the difference being pocketed. That is why I want this Tepui Group Inc. to be investigated. Someone must delve into the basics: tax returns, number of staff members, history of contracts, age of company, etc.

Secondly, there is the multi-million contract in June 2024, reportedly awarded quite furtively to Tepui Group Inc, the specifics of which (e.g., project type, value etc.) were not detailed, and seemingly, quite deliberately quagmired among government and public records to avoid scrutiny.

However, as per “Public records and the Auditor General reports,” major concerns were highlighted with the Belle Vue Pump Station contract, notably that Tepui Group Inc. failed to meet several tender requirements for the pump station project and was significantly behind schedule on the work. Yet the government is still in the process of recovering a significant portion of the advance payments made for the Belle Vue project.

I dare say, that this government is good to work ‘with’ and ‘for’, as they pay up-front, and even for delinquent work (the latter involving BK Marines, and I add to this the now dormant “Government repossession efforts (October 2023) on the Kingston Water Front Property, where the government was prepared to take the matter to the CCJ to continue its pursuit of justice). Editor, the notoriety of Guyanese Critic has reached legendary proportions-indecency is his trade mark and violence his modus operandum. I need not elaborate here, but I cringe, thinking that decent folks, especially women, and children are exposed to his ‘sour breath’ and ‘bad tongue’ all manifestations of his bankrupt mentality.

Readers take this for a closure and get an idea into who the PPP/C, the likes of Jagdeo, Nandlall and Ali are. The Public Accounts Committee, in a recent report, revealed that during the evaluation period for the pump station contract, Tepui had listed a $313 million contract with Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) which falls under the Housing Ministry, for the upgrade of roads in Block 3, Great Diamond. It was stated that the contract is dated February 24th, 2023.

The document also states that the company received other government contracts (as) Tepui had submitted a document to show the list of projects it had done, which included the rehabilitation of South Pakistan Street and rehabilitation of Tyre Shop Street, valued at $25 million and $24 million respectively. Both contracts were purportedly awarded by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. It should be noted, however, that the dates of those contracts were not stated.

You want more?

Following the revelation, checks were made by many people on the NPTAB website for other contracts awarded to Tepui Group but to no avail. One of the dailies asked Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo whether or not this was true, that the ‘Guyanese Critic’s’ company received another government contract. While Jagdeo was unable to confirm if Tepui Group did receive the contract, he directed the publication to check online since all contracts are made public. It should be noted that as of June 26, 2024, the only contract listed as awarded to Tepui on NPTAB’s website was the Belle Vue Pump Station contract.

Maybe it is time now for another whole level of operation. Let it be known that there are ways to internationally investigate a government for corrupt contract awards to friends. It typically involves reporting the information to international anti-corruption bodies, law enforcement agencies with international reach, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that specialize in transparency. These bodies can investigate and, in some cases, facilitate legal action or apply international pressure.

It is time for a concerted effort. It is time to officially inform Transparency International (TI) (This global civil society organization has Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) in over 60 countries); the FBI in the U.S., or the Serious Fraud Office in the UK). (These agencies often collaborate through task forces (like the International Anti-Corruption Prosecutorial Task Force) to investigate transnational corruption and can initiate investigations if the case involves their jurisdiction or citizens/companies. There are also Multilateral Development Banks (If the contracts involve projects funded by bodies like the World Bank or regional development banks); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (The UNODC works with state parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) to establish frameworks for transparency and accountability in procurement. I believe that things can change. The most potent force in any country is a group of people united, not under political and racial umbrellas, by a quest for transparency and accountability. I posit that Guyana can come to a grinding halt if an independent inquiry is held into a number of issues, both financially and narcotically.

Yours truly,
Prescott Mann

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• corruption, Lorenzo Joseph, Prescott Mann, unite

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