Bribery disclosures rock GRA

April 11, 2008
-two officials sent on leave

By Iana Seales

As the probe into fraudulent activities allegedly carried out by Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) employees with Fidelity Investment deepens, bombshell revelations about a scheme to smuggle polar beer into the country resulted in two custom officials being sent on leave yesterday while another two are being closely monitored.

The probe initiated by President Bharrat Jagdeo has reportedly cracked wide open the shady dealings of a few in the hierarchy of customs and has at the same time raised questions about a possible smuggling ring that has operated for sometime.
It is not clear however whether the current probe will go beyond the transactions between Fidelity and the GRA.
Sources confirmed yesterday that the two officials were issued letters sending them on leave after more than 24 hours of extensive questioning by members of the multi-sector investigating team set up by the President.

The team comprises a member of the GRA board; another from the Auditor General’s Office; a member of the Task Force on Smuggling and a Guyana Police Force rank.

Stabroek News was reliably informed that Jagdeo ordered an independent probe into the GRA’s dealings with Fidelity over the past few months after learning of the alleged involvement of the senior custom officials who were implicated by a key figure at Fidelity.

Information from sources reveal that a series of meetings was recently held between the GRA and a key Fidelity figure and that it was at the most recent meeting that Fidelity proposed a deal with the revenue body: Fidelity would reveal how 73,000 polar beers were cleared from the wharf without the requisite duties being paid but only in exchange for the charges instituted against the company being dropped.
Fidelity then fingered senior GRA officials by revealing how a customs broker who is currently in police custody was entrusted with $142M to get the shipment from the wharf. The man reportedly came up with a deal with customs to clear the polar beer under the category of ‘assorted soft drinks’, which draws less tax than the polar beers.

The sum of $32M was then paid to revenue body in taxes and another $70M was paid to a senior customs official who allowed the shipment to leave the wharf.

The official is also alleged to have facilitated documents being falsified for Fidelity. The rest of the money went to the broker.
But within days of the deal being struck, someone reported to a key GRA official that the beers had left the wharf without taxes being paid resulting in the GRA moving to seal off the Fidelity bond at Broad Street on January 16 this year. According to sources an investigation was launched but it was some of the same people who allegedly struck the deal who were placed on the GRA team to probe the Fidelity polar beer fraud.

The matter later ended up in court.
Sources say that after this information was recently related to the GRA the revenue body demanded credible evidence from Fidelity and also informed the President and the bribery probe was subsequently launched. Though the GRA could have initiated the probe on its own, too many senior officials were fingered for an internal investigation to be carried out, sources said.

The probe has rocked the GRA to its core according to sources given the persons fingered and as the investigation continues more persons at the revenue body who were working under those implicated are expected to be questioned.

Fidelity personnel are expected to fall under the microscope over the next few days as they have allegedly admitted bribing customs officials.

A string of legal matters are still before the courts involving Fidelity and GRA over the polar beer shipment.

US$350,000 dollars (one time) bribe.

This is now the norm when doing business with this PPP Govt. This disclosed bribe is only a tip of the iceberg.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gupta,

Look, does anyone believe the GRA officer who took a bribe is the ONLY one in a government agency to be corrupt? If Jagdeo is serious, he'd establish a permanent panel to investigate every governmet arm, starting with Office of the President. I'm sure the next election will come and go and the panel won't be finished with its probe. Such is the level of corruption.

By the way, Jagdeo appointed Nandlall, a PPP MP, to prosecute Buddy's in the fuel smuggling case, then fired the Guyana Energy Authority's CEO, Joseph O'lall, who was bringing the charges against Buddy's. Two weeks ago, the case was dismissed. Sounds funny?

Nandlall is the same attorney who Oliver Hinckson claims was sent as an 'emissary from the President' to handle Hinckson's proposal to mediate between government and the Lusignan/Bartica killers.

The President knows how to get his way if he wants to, but he is head of the government that thrives on corruption. He'll pick and choose his targets.

quote:

Originally posted by Communicator:
Look, does anyone believe the GRA officer who took a bribe is the ONLY one in a government agency to be corrupt? If Jagdeo is serious, he'd establish a permanent panel to investigate every governmet arm, starting with Office of the President. I'm sure the next election will come and go and the panel won't be finished with its probe. Such is the level of corruption.

By the way, Jagdeo appointed Nandlall, a PPP MP, to prosecute Buddy's in the fuel smuggling case, then fired the Guyana Energy Authority's CEO, Joseph O'lall, who was bringing the charges against Buddy's. Two weeks ago, the case was dismissed. Sounds funny?

Nandlall is the same attorney who Oliver Hinckson claims was sent as an 'emissary from the President' to handle Hinckson's proposal to mediate between government and the Lusignan/Bartica killers.

The President knows how to get his way if he wants to, but he is head of the government that thrives on corruption. He'll pick and choose his targets.

A permanent panel will be as corrupt as you are..

GRA has always been corrupt.. 60% of Guyanese living outside of Guyana has been corrupt. The question is are you one of them??

Finding a clean public servant in Guyana is like "looking for a needle in a haystack" From police to judge, all tief!

quote:

Originally posted by Ramakant_p:
60% of Guyanese living outside of Guyana has been corrupt.

moron where did you get that statistic? Or do you like to prattle whatever idiocy comes to mind?

quote:

Originally posted by Communicator:
Look, does anyone believe the GRA officer who took a bribe is the ONLY one in a government agency to be corrupt? If Jagdeo is serious, he'd establish a permanent panel to investigate every governmet arm, starting with Office of the President. I'm sure the next election will come and go and the panel won't be finished with its probe. Such is the level of corruption.

By the way, Jagdeo appointed Nandlall, a PPP MP, to prosecute Buddy's in the fuel smuggling case, then fired the Guyana Energy Authority's CEO, Joseph O'lall, who was bringing the charges against Buddy's. Two weeks ago, the case was dismissed. Sounds funny?

Nandlall is the same attorney who Oliver Hinckson claims was sent as an 'emissary from the President' to handle Hinckson's proposal to mediate between government and the Lusignan/Bartica killers.

The President knows how to get his way if he wants to, but he is head of the government that thrives on corruption. He'll pick and choose his targets.

Well said.

Rama has no defense so he is posting crap to create a diversion from the substantive issue.

The Dude behind the Polar Beer.......has the indecency to Post at his business site........LEGAL POLAR BEER

quote:

Originally posted by Na Cl:
The Dude behind the Polar Beer.......has the indecency to Post at his business site........LEGAL POLAR BEER

Is his name Safeek? Did someone try to shoot him a few years ago?
Is't he the same guy behind the Sacred Heart Insurance scam? He used Fraud Sookdeo as his front man?

On the money......
poor Fred Sookdeo is trying to dig himself out of the HOLE

quote:

Originally posted by Communicator:
Look, does anyone believe the GRA officer who took a bribe is the ONLY one in a government agency to be corrupt? If Jagdeo is serious, he'd establish a permanent panel to investigate every governmet arm, starting with Office of the President. I'm sure the next election will come and go and the panel won't be finished with its probe. Such is the level of corruption.

By the way, Jagdeo appointed Nandlall, a PPP MP, to prosecute Buddy's in the fuel smuggling case, then fired the Guyana Energy Authority's CEO, Joseph O'lall, who was bringing the charges against Buddy's. Two weeks ago, the case was dismissed. Sounds funny?

Nandlall is the same attorney who Oliver Hinckson claims was sent as an 'emissary from the President' to handle Hinckson's proposal to mediate between government and the Lusignan/Bartica killers.

The President knows how to get his way if he wants to, but he is head of the government that thrives on corruption. He'll pick and choose his targets.

Well, look who's talking. What you think went on for decades from time to time. Customs were alway big on bribery, how you think the Hukster business trived. How you think Carl Boyce, Bhog Parmamand and other big huksters/traders operated. That being said, I'm not condoning illegal acts, but customs are always exposed to these practices. When caught should be prosecuted.

FYI, there is a already "pannel" for such, it's called the Auditor General, that's his job. Maybe, your point should be to beef up and expand the AG's capability to have stronger presence and oversight capability. The institutions are there, but maybe they should be strengthened.

This is the tip of the iceberg. Jagdeo mismanage this administration and now he supposedly initiated a probe that revealed the fraud. I don't believe this for one moment, all them ppp bais got their hand in the coffers getting rich. Could you people imagine the full scope of irregualrities going on in this administration, everybody in the ppp fulling them pockets.

quote:

Originally posted by baseman:
FYI, there is a already "pannel" for such, it's called the Auditor General, that's his job. Maybe, your point should be to beef up and expand the AG's capability to have stronger presence and oversight capability. The institutions are there, but maybe they should be strengthened.

I agree. The last credible Auditor General (Anand Goolsaran) said that this entity was under resourced before he resigned to work with the United Nations.

quote:

Originally posted by Benford:
This is the tip of the iceberg. Jagdeo mismanage this administration and now he supposedly initiated a probe that revealed the fraud. I don't believe this for one moment, all them ppp bais got their hand in the coffers getting rich. Could you people imagine the full scope of irregualrities going on in this administration, everybody in the ppp fulling them pockets.

I would agree that some thing appear to be mismanaged, security, some overseight capability, rural education, etc. The question is, what would be the Govt's response to these intractions. They need to look at adding teeth in the agencies that are there to do the job. The president cannot be dirctly responsibile for the hand-on operations of every branch of Govt. The fact that it was launched by the Govt does mean the intend to take action. Furthermore, they need to bring real stiff penalties to guilty parties, not just lost of job. I'm not advocating the China model, but something approaching that.