(GINA) - The Administration may not be able to promise a country free of corruption, but it certainly will not let perpetrators get away with acts of corruption.
This is according to President Bharrat Jagdeo who reiterated his Government’s commitment to fight corruption during a television interview on current issues with NCN’s Editor-in-Chief Wilfred Cameron. The President was at the time being questioned about the 50 vehicles imported by persons falsely declaring remigrant status.
Ever since assuming the presidency, President Jagdeo has vowed to clamp down on corruption by public officers. The President has repeatedly called for citizens to provide evidence of impropriety in public offices.
The President has ordered immediate action following the report of irregularities in the granting of duty-free concessions for vehicles for remigrants. The Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has handed over the report of the investigation ordered by President Jagdeo into irregularities discovered in the administration of the granting of duty free concessions to remigrants under the vehicles scheme.
The Report dealt with Duty Free Concessions granted to 86 remigrants in August 2003, 31 of which satisfied all the qualifying criteria. The President has ordered that the 55 vehicles be seized. This latest move is seen in light of the President’s intervention to deal with corruption at all levels.
“If the people cannot prove that they were above board, they would have to pay their taxes,” he said.
The GRA’s report has identified a series of deliberate acts by Public Officers who violated criteria in the process, as well as negligence by other Public Officers who authorised the granting of duty free concessions.
The President noted that he has directed that the persons identified in the scam either be sent on leave or dismissed to allow the conducting of the investigation. The report, confined to August 2003 transactions, left unanswered the actual duration and extent of the fraudulent activity.
The presentation of the Report has led to the President ordering with immediate effect, the submission of the report to the Director of Public Prosecution and the Auditor General’s Department. The Head of State also directed seizure of all vehicles granted under questionable circumstances and cancellation of other concessions. The President also ordered an extension of the investigation into the access of previous duty free concessions granted to remigrants before August 2003.
According to President Jagdeo, several persons have come to him with data on the fraudulent activities, which he has directed to the Commissioner of Police Mr. Winston Felix and Commissioner General of the GRA.
“We cannot promise that there would be no corruption, but if we identify the source of the corruption we are not going to do like the PNC and sweep it under the carpet, as in the past, or have no audited account. We are going to order full investigation, like we did in this matter, and at the end of the day, when the investigation is completed, people would have to face the music,” the President said.
Commenting on fraudulent activities at the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, the President said action will be taken against anyone found culpable from the investigation findings.