Post Office says it repeatedly asked for voucher details
Stabroek News
November 16, 2002
The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) says it repeatedly asked for details of old age pension vouchers and is rejecting statements made by the Minister of Human Services Bibi Shadick in relation to the fraud now under probe.
In a press release yesterday the GPOC said, a news item in Stabroek News on November 8 quoted the minister as saying that the post office should not have paid any voucher if it had not seen a specimen and that she was not aware of any requests being made.
The multi-million dollar scam allegedly involved officers of the ministry visiting post offices around the country and cashing forged pension vouchers.
The release said the post office has been the agents for the payment of Old Age pension for numerous years and although Shadick had changed the printery, security features and the distribution system, amidst many accusations, her ministry retained the post office as their paying agent.
According to the release signed by Assistant Postmaster General, Leon Dickson, “At a meeting held in January 15, 2002 at the Office of the President, which was chaired by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Roger Luncheon and attended by Minister Shadick, it was agreed that the post office would continue to pay recipients of Old Age pension.”
The release noted that at that meeting information about the security features was sought and this was promised by the ministry. With no positive results, the post office again sought the information by way of letters to the permanent secretary dated January 30 and to Mohanlall, PAS Finance dated January 31. “We were subsequently told that it was not necessary for us to have that information.”
The release stated that the payment of Old Age pension began in February without the safety features being sent by the ministry. The GPOC release said that another meeting was convened on May 13 at the ministry in the presence of Ministers Dale Bisnauth and Shadick, PAS Finance Mohanlall and Permanent Secretary, Mitra Devi Alli and the corporation’s position about having to make payments without the security information was again highlighted.
“We were again advised that it was not necessary for us to have that information. It was treated as confidential data to the ministry,” the release stated.
According to the release it was not until the fraud was discovered in August and investigations were underway that the corporation received the security features in a letter dated October 14, 2002 and signed by deputy permanent Secretary L David.
The corporation states that, it is inaccurate for the minister to say that she is not aware of that decision and finds it hard to believe that the post office agreed to pay something they had not seen. “If the ministry did not refuse to give the corporation a specimen copy as Shadick claims, why was there the need for Ms David’s letter with the security features?”
The corporation noted that it will not allow the minister to shift the focus from her ministry and lay blame on her paying agents, who in no way reproduced or distributed the illegal coupons.
The corporation has since concluded its phase of the investigation and the matter is now in the hands of the law enforcement agency, the release added.
Efforts to contact Shadick yesterday for a response proved futile.
When this newspaper made contact with the ministry it was reported by her secretary that she was unavailable.
