Reinstated EPA director wants board to probe claims against him
By Oscar P. Clarke
Stabroek News
December 21, 2002
Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bal Parsaud wants the agency's board of directors to fully investigate claims by the government about wrongdoing on his part.
Parsaud, who was fired on Monday from his post by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, only to have that decision rescinded a day later, was said to have lost the confidence of Cabinet. The dismissal decision was reversed after it became clear that the board of the EPA had had no input in the matter.
According to a December 16 letter to Luncheon from Parsaud's lawyer, Khemraj Ramjattan, Parsaud was informed via fax that he had been "fired by the administration" on the same date with immediate effect. The document was signed by Luncheon.
The EPA head, speaking to reporters on Thursday, is adamant that he has never been indicted for any wrongdoing nor is he responsible for the actions of two exporters who, in their private domain, allegedly committed a forgery.
Luncheon at his weekly post-cabinet press briefing on Wednesday had said that under his [Parsaud's] stewardship the wildlife trade and its administration had suffered a number of indignities, including fraud. Further that the wildlife industry had lost an extremely lucrative market [sale of primates from Guyana], endangering the livelihood of personnel in the sector, and "other unresolved matters." There had also been concerns in the administration over Parsaud's involvement in matters pertaining to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) assistance.
Speaking with Stabroek News, Parsaud noted that he has never officially headed the Wildlife Division, a unit of the Office of the President, but rather only performed a voluntary supervisory role with respect to that entity.
This situation, he admitted, has been so since its restructuring a couple of years ago and its temporary housing at the EPA/IAST building, Turkeyen.
He said that a report on an investigation into the unauthorised shipment of primates to Japan had found that he was not culpable of any wrongdoing.
Reference to this was made by Parsaud's attorney, Ramjattan, who in the letter dated December 16, and addressed to Luncheon, concurred that the report had nothing incriminating his client in any wrongdoing.
The report, prepared following revelations of skulduggery in relation to the export of a shipment of monkeys to Japan in April-May 2002, recommended the immediate withdrawal of the licence of two exporters for non-adherence to obligations under their licence.
The EPA head, like his attorney, is firmly of the view that neither the Office of the President nor anyone in the administration is in a position to fire him.
It is only under the EPA Act (11 of 1996) section 6 (1) (a), Ramjattan said in his letter to Luncheon, that his client could be dismissed by his employer, the EPA board.
On other allegations pertaining to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Parsaud said that he had written to Luncheon on December 2, requesting details, if any, of the concerns of the Office of the President.
He got a reply signed by Luncheon acknowledging receipt of the correspondence dated December 2, and noting that the Office of the President had been made aware of WWF's concerns and had been "following the matter with the agency. At some point, the EPA would be approached on the matter," Luncheon added.
Parsaud is insisting on his right to be heard and that due process be followed.
