Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba has acknowledged that his involvement in the recent exportation of dolphins was "inappropriate," but said he acted with the sole intention of establishing a business relationship that would benefit the country as a whole.
"In terms of whether it was appropriate for my company to accept the role as facilitator, it is now clear that it was bad judgment on my part," Lumumba said, yesterday. "It was never my desire to embarrass, or in any way compromise, the government which I am a part of. In that sense, my attachment to the project was inappropriate."
Lumumba called on the appropriate institution, "whether it is the Auditor General's Office", to examine the management of the Wildlife Division.
The present procedures must be looked at, he said, with the issue of dolphins being a priority.
Lumumba and his company, Mc Neal Enterprises, have been embroiled in the wildlife fiasco surrounding the exportation of dolphins to Mexico.
A probe was launched into the operations of the Wildlife Division, which resulted in the firing of the Head, Khalawan, when evidence of irregularities surfaced.
Lumumba emphasised, yesterday, that he was in no way involved in any financial transaction connected to the exportation of dolphins.
"I wish to point out that at no time did I participate in any financial arrangement with the department of wildlife on behalf of the company and, as far as I am aware, all payments were made directly by the company to the department."
He explained that the Mexican company, Fasimmar, had proposed the establishment of a dolphin park in Guyana and the training of University of Guyana students and government technicians in the capturing of dolphins.
Exporters in the wildlife trade had questioned whether Lumumba was a licensed exporter and how much he had paid for the licence.
Some of them stated that they waited years before they were granted licences to export wildlife.
Exporters have to pay $50,000 for an exporter licence, $50,000 for a quarantine licence, $35,000 for a trapping licence, and $9,000 for a transport licence.
Lumumba said Khalawan clarified that $20,000 was required for the permit fee to export the dolphins.
He stated that a letter, which was given to Fasimmar by Khalawan, never specified that an annual licence was required.
"If this procedure was compromised, then the department of wildlife should take steps to regularise this particular situation," he said.
He emphasised that it was not a question of the availability of finance by the company to pay the fees, but it was just that the company was following instructions from the Wildlife Division.
Project Coordinator of Fasimmar, Kevin Dealy, declared yesterday that the dolphin project is solely Fasimmar's and not a joint venture with any other company.
He stated that Mc Neal Enterprises was providing basic assistance to Fasimmar in getting business done in Guyana.
"Fasimmar made all payments directly to the department of wildlife and is fully responsible for the project," he said. "The only people hired to work with the company was consultant Rueben Charles and his associates. Our interest in Guyana is just to export dolphins, establish a dolphin park, and train University of Guyana students and government technicians so that they can participate in a direct capture of the animals, while working with the Government of Guyana."
Dealy stated that the first meeting they had on their business proposal was with Secretary of the Wildlife Division's Board of Directors, Kellawan Lall.
All other meetings were with Khalawan, he said, and his company followed all the instructions as outlined in Khalawan's letter to Fasimmar.
He reiterated that the $20,000 permit fee was paid based on the department's directive.
Dealy indicated his company's willingness in resuming discussions with the government and to ensure all procedures, as laid out by CITES and the Wildlife Division, are followed.
He said his company recognised that the trade in dolphins is a new activity for Guyana and he proposed on behalf of his company to work with the Wildlife Division so that future relationships progress smoothly and all misunderstandings are cleared up.
And whatever happened to the dolphins?
Of the quota of 25 dolphins granted by CITES, 11 were shipped out of Guyana. On the way to Mexico, the Venezuelan coast guard intercepted the vessel with the shipment.
Dealey explained that they were travelling in what is known as a "hot zone" where drug runners frequently operate.
He stated that the Venezuelan authorities took them in for questioning.
Because of the time factor involved, the dolphins had to be released into the ocean so that they would not be exposed to any risk, he said.
The others that were quarantined off the North West coast also had to be released.
Dealey said that the animals were electronically tagged so that they could be easily recaptured.
He stated that the issue was cleared up with the Venezuelan authorities and future shipments would not be jeopardised.
"We have invested so much time and resources that we do not want to turn away from this venture. The business is now in the public domain so we do not expect more difficulties from the Venezuelan authorities," he said.
Dealy is bullish on his company's investment which he said would benefit both Guyana and Fasimmar.