Luncheon 'gave order for dolphin exports'
-Khalawan breaks silence
Stabroek News
July 9, 2004
The interdicted head of the Wildlife Unit, Khalawan (only name) yesterday insisted that he acted on the directive of Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, to grant export permits for 25 dolphins to Presidential Adviser on Empowerment, Odinga Lumumba.
It is a charge Luncheon denies, having told reporters earlier this week that the exports were not mandated by the National Wildlife Authority but rather based on the unsanctioned behaviour of the unit's manager. Lumumba does not want to speak on the issue but has said his company was involved in facilitating the exports.
The exports are legal under regulations set out by the governing body for wildlife trade, The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) but requires a non-detrimental finding to be done beforehand. CITES was reviewing that study and Guyana was supposed to be waiting for its assessment.
In a signed statement from the office of his attorney, Khemraj Ramjattan, Khalawan says on December 5 2003, Luncheon verbally sanctioned the export of dolphins and followed this up on December 9 with a letter setting out the conditions under which the exports should be done.
Khalawan said he was invited by Luncheon to a meeting on December 3 in the absence of Khellawan Lall, Presidential Advisor and Secretary to the Guyana Wildlife Management Authority. Luncheon asked for more information on the dolphin issue and asked Khalawan to drop him to the Prime Minister's Office.
"During travelling, he suggested to me that since the way was now cleared to proceed with the exportation of dolphins (the non-detrimental study on the population was positive)... he had mistakenly felt that the Wildlife Unit would catch the dolphins from Guyana's Exclusive Economic Zone and sell same to the investor, making a big profit from such sale, in addition to collecting the 20% export levy," Khalawan said.
Khalawan said he clarified this and other issues, which Luncheon then asked to be put in writing, along with rationalisation and conditions for the option to export so that he could be in a position to counter those opposed to the exports. Local wildlife traders and international conservationists have protested what was up to a few weeks ago thought to be only a proposal to export the creatures. Khalawan himself had for several months refused to confirm the status of the exports or that he had been authorised to approve the transactions by Luncheon. Numerous attempts by this newspaper to contact Khalawan on the matter starting back in February were never met with a full explanation of the position.
In his statement, Khalawan said the next day he sent the information to Luncheon and advised that there be a one-off shipment of dolphins. He said the existing price range was between US$20,000 - US$30,000 per dolphin depending on proximity to the market, and that the export levy was 20% of the FOB price and the customs levy was 1.5% of that FOB price. He also said he told Luncheon that if he did not want the exports to take place, he could provide him with 101 reasons for this.
Khalawan said he next heard from Luncheon on December 5 and was asked to drive him to Le Meridien.
"It was whilst travelling in my vehicle that he told me that he read my letter and had decided to okay the dolphin exportation. Dr Luncheon told me he will write to the Management Authority as to the conditionalities for the exportation of dolphins," Khalawan said
On December 9, Lumumba visited Khalawan's office and told him he was sent by Luncheon to collect the export permits for the dolphins. Khalawan said he informed Lumumba that though the way was clear, he had to have something in writing from Luncheon or the Management Authority before he could proceed on the issue.
"He told me he `just had a meeting with Dr Luncheon and the thing approve', that the end of the year was only a couple of days away, and that he had to push it out before the end of the year," Khalawan said. The importer of the dolphins is FASIMAR of Mexico and the country was facing a ban on the imports of dolphins starting after December 2003 because of controversy over the imports from the Solomon Islands.
Khalawan says he called Luncheon's office and spoke to the secretary who confirmed that a letter approving the export of dolphins was prepared but not yet signed by Luncheon. Khalawan said the secretary read the letter to him over the phone and on that basis he gave a letter to Lumumba, directed to McNeal Enterprise and FASIMAR stating that the dolphins could be exported. He said he did not think it proper to issue an export permit at that stage.
On December 11, Khalawan said he met Luncheon at the Ocean View Convention Centre for a parliamentary committee meeting on natural resources. This meeting was chaired by Lumumba. Luncheon gave a report and Khalawan said he also gave a short report on how his unit was administered.
After that meeting Khalawan said he ferried both Luncheon and Lumumba to the Office of the President and Lumumba was "forcefully" persuading Luncheon to release the letter approving the exports so that the permits could be released.
"Luncheon indicated to him that he already signed the letter and I will get same that said afternoon," Khalawan said. That letter was addressed to Khellawan Lall and copied to Khalawan, who saw this as a directive for him to execute, given all that transpired before.
That letter reads:
"After discussions with staff at the Wildlife Management Unit, I would like you to consider these proposals;
* A one-off permit being issued to the exporter to govern export of the species.
* The gender ratio of the shipment of 25 animals (as against the recommended 20 by the Scientific Authority) to be finalized but with male predominance.
* The cost of each animal being US$20,000 (as against a recommended price of US$30,000 because of the proximity of Mexico to Guyana).
* The administrative arrangements and trading specifications being handled by the Wildlife Unit."
Khalawan says given the influence of Luncheon on the authority and the government intervention in the operation of the unit, and his own discussions with Luncheon and Lumumba, the letter was a clear green light for him to proceed. He said he then sent to Lumumba another letter correcting the earlier which had allowed exports of 50 dolphins in two years to reflect the conditions set out in Luncheon's letter.
The same day, Khalawan said that Lumumba came to his office for a photocopy of the export permit for the 25 dolphins so that the processing of the imports could have started and payment of the export levy could have been arranged. This was done and the original was held until the export levy of $19.6M was paid.
Khalawan said on January 21 Lumumba told him he wanted the export permits phased in four lots of six, eight, seven and four and this was done. That afternoon there was a Management Authority meeting and Khalawan said he commenced giving a verbal update as to how photocopies of permits were issued to Lumumba but Lall interrupted saying that the dolphin issue would be dealt with later. The only matter raised later was whether CITES had given approval and he informed the meeting that this was not necessary as all that was required was for the non-detrimental finding to be sent and this had been done.
"Again I was interrupted by Mr Khellawan Lall who said this matter of dolphin exportation has been dealt with at the highest level. I got the impression that Mr Khellawan Lall did not want to give details to the members of the Management Authority," Khalawan said in his statement. Stabroek Business was unable to contact Lall on this and other issues.
In February and March, Lumumba paid the export levy for the 25 dolphins and this payment was brought to the attention of the Management Authority and Dr Luncheon. In addition, Khalawan said on March 5 he wrote a notification/response as to the status of animals to be exported to Dr Luncheon, Lall and Dr Bud Mangal, chairman of the Authority. Additionally, he prepared a budget for the division in March which was discussed at the Management Authority meeting at which documents revealing the export levies of the $20M for the dolphin exports were given to members. The budget was approved.
In early May, Khalawan said that the unit's veterinarian examined the four dolphins to issue the health certificates and these were shipped out from Port Mabaruma. Seven additional dolphins were shipped out at the end of that month.
Khalawan said four days after the first shipment, Dr Mangal called him to confirm whether the shipment had left and he affirmed this. He then asked for a copy of Dr Luncheon's authorisation of December 9 which was addressed to the Authority Secretary, Khellawan Lall. Khalawan said he sent this along with photocopies of pictures of the dolphins exported.
On June 7, Khalawan said he got a call from Dr Mangal to meet him and Dr Luncheon at the Office of the President. When he arrived, he met Lall and Dr Mangal and went to Luncheon's office. Khalawan said he was asked to wait outside and half an hour later was called in.
"Whilst in there, I was told by Dr Luncheon, in the presence of Dr Mangal and Mr K Lall that they never knew of the dolphin exportation nor authorization of same. I was shocked by this development and began protesting. Dr Luncheon told me not to get angry and I should go home and hand over the keys to the Office, that there will be an investigation into the exportation of the eleven dolphins already shipped out; and that he will get Mr Khellawan Lall to get someone to manage the division in the meantime," Khalawan said.
Khalawan insisted that at all times he has acted professionally. He said he was asked to head the unit in July 2002 by Luncheon and he has managed to increase its revenues from $38 million in 2001 to $48 million in 2002 and $96M in 2003. As of March 2004, he had already collected $40M in revenues.
"I am certain I would have collected in excess of $100M in 2004..." Khalawan said. He added that all of his efforts to persuade Dr Luncheon, Lall and the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President, Minster Jennifer Webster, to have a proper management system built around the needs of reporting and accounting to an independent and professional board and not personalities, failed.
Ramjattan is calling for a thorough investigation and even a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the affairs of the wildlife unit.
"I do not mind if he does not consult anyone. He can have Ian Chang on the committee, I do not care," Ramjattan said, adding that another issue of concern is why the monies from this unit is banked separately and not placed in the consolidated fund.
Carlos Lara of FASIMAR in Mexico approached the government in 2002 to harvest dolphins in Guyana. Reuben Charles, a marine biologist and former fisheries officer, was contracted to do the non-detrimental study and found the bottlenose dolphins in minimum abundance of 5533 and recommended a harvest rate of 55.3 per annum. This was communicated to CITES. The Scientific Authority later determined a harvest rate of 20 per annum. An independent exporter yesterday told Stabroek Business he received an order for 50 dolphins from Australia at a price of US$65,000 each.