Containers at centre of Customs brouhaha opened
Probe results due today
Stabroek News
June 21, 2002
Two containers at the centre of a highly charged row between head of the Customs and Trade Administration (CTA), Lambert Marks and his functional superior, Edgar Heyligar, were yesterday opened for examination.
The results of the findings of the examination are expected today.
Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Heyligar, ordered the investigation following reports of preferential treatment meted out to some importers by the CTA. The undertaking has fuelled a dispute with Marks, who accused the commissioner-general of interference and applying pressure on him.
Marks has a 48-hour ultimatum which ends at 1500 hrs today to substantiate his claims of malfeasance, including corruption in high places, which he alluded to at a press conference on Tuesday convened by him to clear his name. The ultimatum came from the Office of the President.
Marks could not be contacted yesterday. When attempts were made to reach him at his office, Marks' secretary said he was not in for the day.
The examination of the two containers was done yesterday at the premises of the importer and not at the wharf as is done on most occasions. This permission was granted by Marks on June 10. The containers arrived in Guyana on June 19.
Some importers are upset at the expeditious manner in which this particular businessman's documents are processed at CTA. They pointed out that the documents were processed even before the containers were in Guyana.
One importer also claimed that the same businessman was granted permission by the CTA to have a bonded warehouse. This enables the importer not to pay duties on items until they are sold and the items bonded could be re-exported without duties being paid.
It was noted that only large and well-established companies were granted this facility.
As at 1630 hrs yesterday, the items in the importer's containers were examined as per invoice and the investigators were checking the values submitted to the CTA. The items in the containers included electrical hand mixers, juice extractors, irons, cutlery, VCRs, freezers and electric tubes, wire and starters. The import duty paid was $1,494,787.22 and the consumption tax was $2,459,519.53, totalling $3,954,306.75
Marks had said it was not the first time such permission was granted to an importer. He said the process of examination on premises saw the containers being escorted by officers of the CTA from the wharf.
He stated there was a false perception being created that documents for a container could not be processed because it had not yet arrived at the wharf.
The head of internal audit at the CTA was asked by Marks to be present when the containers were opened and to present his findings to the public.
The commissioner said he would stand the full scrutiny of the public if one discrepancy was found between the contents of the containers and the documents of the importers. Marks had said the issue was deeper than that of containers. He charged that there was a conspiracy by members of the GRA, politicians and corrupt businessmen to damage his character or get rid of him because he does not allow himself to be manipulated.
The ultimatum given to him followed his disclosure that he would be speaking out on corruption in high places; overseas properties and bank accounts; drug trafficking and money laundering; the drug-related murder of Herman Sanichar; the backtrack-related murder of Lloyd Bacchus; and the murder of a Customs Officer at Grove, East Bank Demerara. (Andrew Richards)