Corruption charges coming for Jagdeo …five ex-ministers of PPP

THE State Assets Recovery Unit is recommending that Attorney General Basil Williams put systems in place so that charges of “misconduct in public office” can be laid against former President Bharrat Jagdeo and five ministers of the former administration.The five former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government ministers at reference are: Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud; Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford; Education Minister, Priya Manickchand; Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul; and Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee.
The recommendations follow a probe into what sort of procedures were followed prior to the transfer and issuance of prime State lands at Sparendaam, on the lower East Coast, to former government ministers and persons perceived to be their friends and associates.
Among those who were fortunate to have secured land in up-market “Prado Ville 2” are Ghansham Singh and Kamini Parag-Singh, son and daughter-in-law of former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; Florrie Loretta Ramnauth; Compton Bourne; Ramesh Dookhoo, former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC); Gary Best, former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF); Shalimar Ali-Hack and Moeenul Hack; Raj Singh; Shaik Baksh, former minister of housing and water; Lisaveta Valantina Ramotar, former President Donald Ramotar’s daughter; Andrew Ranji Bishop; Safraaz Khan; George Hallaq and Nada Hallaq; and Future Developers International (Guyana) Inc.

a witchhunt

IN the wake of a recommendation for criminal charges be instituted against several former government ministers over the sale of lands at the Pradoville 2 housing scheme, the opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has condemned what it claimed is a “vicious and vengeful attempt by the APNU+AFC administration.The PPP, in a statement yesterday, said it will not be daunted by the on-going APNU+AFC “witch-hunting and campaign of vilification”.
The PPP said it remains convinced that at length, the truth will come out and the party’s unsinkable faith in the people in general, and its members and supporters in particular, will eventually see the governing APNU+AFC being a sorry sight. “All the evil and diabolical acts they have committed will be dashed to pieces and consigned to the dustbin of history,” the PPP said in its statement. The Attorney General, Basil Williams has since indicated that he will be forwarding the recommendations to the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice on the case. The PPP said that “the blitzkrieg launched against the APNU+AFC coalition administration by a wide cross section of Guyanese society expressing their disgust and rejection of the unconscionable salary increase” has the coalition government on the back foot.