Guyana Chronicle
June 20, 2001

THE Office of the President yesterday announced that an intensive probe should soon be concluded into how a US$220,500 contract to print the Laws of Guyana was executed without the knowledge of Cabinet.

A source said a full scale investigation was launched several weeks ago to determine how the contract was carried through without Cabinet knowing about the deal.

The source said the volumes were being printed overseas under a contract executed by the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

In a statement, the Office of the President said the contract was executed on March 15 this year for the printing of the Laws of Guyana.

"The contract resulted from the Cabinet Decision C.P. (2001) 2:1:N issued on 13th February, 2001 and was executed by the Ministry of Legal Affairs."

According to the Office of the President, the "conditions to be met for the execution of the contract were not adhered to."

It explained that the expected external financing by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) of the US$220,500 expenditure to be incurred for printing the volumes was not acquired.

"Thus the contract that was executed committed public funds to the tune of US$220,500 without the knowledge of Cabinet", the Office of the President said.

It added that the investigation should soon be concluded "as the basis for the action taken" by the Legal Affairs Ministry in disregard of the Cabinet Decision C.P. (2001) 2:1:N.

The printing of the volumes of the Laws of Guyana was projected under the judiciary upgrading programme.

A Government spokesman said the intensive probe launched into the affair was "indicative of the Government's genuine commitment to proper accountability to ensure that all regulations and procedures relating to government expenditure are adhered to."