Stabroek News
June 21, 2001

The participation of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission chairman, Robeson Benn, as co-chair of the committee assessing the bauxite industry has come in for criticism by the two industry unions because of his ties to an Alcoa subsidiary.

But Benn has released a letter to the media from Aroaima Mining Company (AMC), which stated that he never received nor is there any arrangement for him to receive payment or favours from AMC, Alcoa, and the Aroaima Bauxite Company (ABC)--another Alcoa subsidiary.

Benn told this newspaper it seemed as though there was a concerted effort to taint his integrity.

He recalled the issue of his association with the Alcoa subsidiaries came up in January but was of the view that the issue was cleared up then.

"When I'm supposed to be focusing on the problems in the bauxite industry it seems I'm being ambushed from all sides," Benn stated.

At a press conference hosted by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) recently, Guyana Bauxite & General Workers Union (GB&GWU) general president, Charles Sampson said Benn is a director and vice president of ABC and a consultant to the company with responsibility for finding viable bauxite deposits in Guyana.

He is also a director of AMC.

This was reported in the Stabroek News in January this year.

Alcoa is the parent company of AMC and ABC.

Opposition leader Desmond Hoyte also expressed the view that Benn was serving in a conflict of interest position on the bauxite committee.

At a press conference on Monday, the PNC REFORM leader asserted that Benn was a director and vice president of ABC, a director of AMC and a consultant to ABC.

According to Hoyte, because of the multiple conflicts of interest "Benn should have recused himself from serving the committee" and asserted that "he cannot be an impartial member of the committee."

The Opposition Leader said Benn grew up in the industry and held a number of important positions in the sector. Because of this, other government appointees on the committee would defer to him. Hoyte said he did not believe Benn's views on the bauxite industry would be impartial therefore he would have difficulty in giving them proper consideration.

Benn explained he was a government appointed director of the companies and represented Guyana's interest on the board.

He said when he was appointed a member of parliament last year, the companies' lawyer made precautionary checks to ensure there was no conflict of interest with him being a member of the board.

He is no longer a member of parliament.

According to Benn, when he resigned his position at the Linden Mining Enterprise he contemplated resigning all his government-appointed positions to take up a consultancy.

ABC was one of the companies earmarked for the consultancy, Benn said, but he eventually did not give up all his government-appointed positions so the consultancy was not a consideration.

Sampson also read the same letter released by Benn from ABC dated May 29, 2000, which stated that Benn received no payment as consultant or any form of association from ABC, AMC or Alcoa.

Referring to the correspondence, Sampson said even if Benn was not being paid it did not matter because his association with the companies still constituted a conflict of interest.

Alcoa has submitted a proposal to government to take over the Berbice Mining Enterprise which Prime Minister Sam Hinds has said that the government found to be favourable.

The workers are bitterly opposed to this and submitted their own proposal last week which is being backed by the bauxite unions and the GTUC. The workers' proposal was also submitted to the bauxite committee.

The other union involved in the proposal is the National Mining & General Workers Union.