Corruption allegations denied by Guyana Minister of Finance

Thursday, January 1, 2004

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Guyana Minister of Finance Sasenarine Kowlessar said Wednesday that allegations of corruption in the issuing of duty-free concessions to re-migrants are unfounded and malicious and if anyone has evidence of such acts they should provide it to the relevant authorities. 

Minister Kowlessar said that he is concerned over the false allegations against the Ministry of Finance and reiterates that he is ready to stand by the current system, since it is the most effective in the history of Guyana. 

An article that appeared in the Kaieteur News, dated December 28, 2003, stated that the Ministry of Finance granted almost 200 duty-free letters to re-migrants for August 29 and in some instances persons paid large sums in United States currency to obtain a letter. 

However, Secretary to the Treasury (ST) Neermal Rekha disclosed that for the entire month of August, 85 re-migrants were granted duty-free concession. 

Additionally, it was alleged in the Kaieteur News article that letters were issued with no expiry dates. To this, Mr. Rekha noted that the standard operating procedure dictates that for some categories of persons granted duty-free concessions, the validity period for the concession is unstated because of the nature under which the concession is granted.

Additionally, the unstable criminal environment contributed to some persons not using their duty-free grants in a timely manner. 

But, for the 85 re-migrants who were granted duty-free concessions in August, the validity period was clearly stated as six months. Duration of duty-free concessions is granted depending on the nature of the sector/area of the item in question. 

Minister Kowlessar reiterated that if there is any information on possible corruption, persons should come forward with the evidence.  

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