Former Head of the Wildlife Division, Khalawan, would be suing the Wildlife Management Authority and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon for wrongful termination over the fiasco surrounding the alleged unauthorized exportation of wildlife.
Khemraj Ramjattan, the Attorney-at-law representing Khalawan, told Kaieteur News yesterday that the Wildlife Management Authority has indicated its willingness to bestow his client with terminations benefits.
But Ramjattan stated that this was not the end-all of the issue.
He said there is an abundance of documented evidence to show that Khalawan was being made a scapegoat for the mismanagement of the wildlife trade in Guyana.
Ramjattan also called for an inquiry to be conducted by independent investigators into the operations of the Wildlife Division from the period it fell under the Ministry of Agriculture, to its transferral to the Environmental Protection Agency and now under the purview of the Office of the President.
Khalawan was fired by the Wildlife Management Authority last week, after an investigation conducted by its Board of Directors found him responsible for unauthorized exports of wildlife.
According to the Wildlife Management Authority, Khalawan had exceeded his mandate as the administrative head of the Wildlife Division and caused various wildlife species to be exported without the requisite approvals, and has consistently kept this information from the Board.
The Board is the only body authorised under the Species Protection Regulations to approve such exports.
The Wildlife Division said among the species exported without approval are dolphins, giant anteaters and tower-tower birds.
Also, in one instance, it was found that one exporter was allowed to exceed his individual quota.
But Ramjattan pointed to two letters - one from Board Chairman Dr. Bud Mangal and the other from Dr Luncheon - which he said gave approval for the exports.
The Wildlife Division noted that Khalawan cited the letter by Dr. Luncheon as the source of his authority to export the dolphins.
But it argued that the letter was directed by Dr Luncheon to Khellawan Lall as Secretary to the Wildlife Management Authority and copied to Khalawan only for information.
The letter requested of Lall to “consider” certain proposals suggested by Dr Luncheon. The Board has determined that the letter cannot be construed as an instruction to Khalawan to export dolphins.
Ramjattan told Kaieteur News that the Wildlife Management Authority and Dr Luncheon would have to explain in court what they meant by “would like to consider” the following proposals: (1) a one-off permit being issued to the exporter to govern export of species…”
He stated that the government never seemed to get a foothold on the wildlife trade.
“They never seem to get the trade going simply because they want to interfere with its administration and make the officers in charge the fall guys for the bad governance, which occurs at the behest and whims of the Office of the President,” he said.
He described it as being “totally mischievous” and “outrageous” for officials high up in the Office of the President to instruct the officers on a course of action, then to make them scapegoats.
“I want to know if the wildlife trade is being used as a milking cow for senior government officials,” Ramjattan said. “As a Member of Parliament, I would like to know whether, since they began administering the trade, the money from the trade was placed into the Consolidated Fund.”
At the centre of the exportation of the dolphins is Ministerial Advisor Odinga Lumumba whose company, Mc Neal Enterprises, received the export permits for the shipments to Mexico.
Questions have been raised as to whether Lumumba is a licensed wildlife exporter.
Seasoned exporters pointed out that they had to wait years before an export license was granted to them and they had to have the necessary qualifications and experience before this was done.
Lumumba received permits to export 25 dolphins at a cost of some US$20,000 each.
One exporter has said that the half million US dollars total for Lumumba’s exports for this year amounted to ten years quota of animals the exporter ships on the world market.