VP Jagdeo managing oil sector alone as Govt. refuses to appoint Petroleum Commission – Opposition

Apr 21, 2024 ExxonMobil, News, Oil & Gas

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Kaieteur News – Despite promising to establish an independent commission to manage the country’s oil and gas sector, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has made no move in this direction and has instead allowed a lone individual, accused of bribery and corruption, to control the industry.

This is according to Opposition members, Shurwayne Holder and Elson Low. The duo during a Leader of the Opposition press conference on Thursday shared concerns regarding the lack of independent professionals managing the sector, arguing that the country can only obtain maximum benefits through this body.

Shadow Minister of Natural Resources, Shurwayne Holder explained, “We believe that such a commission should exist to take away the political element to remove politicians from having that direct management of the sector. Rather, we want to see professionals lead it so that we can obtain maximum benefit for the people of this country.”

The Member of Parliament pointed out that the subject of a Petroleum Commission is not new, as the PPP/C and its incumbent General Secretary had championed calls for the establishment of the body while in opposition, but has failed to do so with just a few months remaining for their term.

The Parliamentarian is of the view that this key management body has not been established since the ruling party “believes in total domination and control.” According to him, “They don’t believe in putting professionals in certain positions and allowing them to do their jobs. They don’t believe in transparency and accountability and so Bharrat Jagdeo wants to have his claws deeply sunk into the oil industry and control every single aspect of it.”

He said the Opposition has been pushing for the Commission to be established at the level of the National Assembly; however, these calls have fallen on deaf ears.

Holder, Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), the main Opposition party told reporters, “We have made a promise to the nation that when we get government next year at the next regional and general elections, we are going to set up that Petroleum Commission, that is one of the goals we set out within the oil and gas sector.

Meanwhile, Low pointed out that VP Jagdeo was accused of corruption involving oil companies, in a Vice News documentary; however, he remains the key decision-maker for the rapidly developing industry.

“We are concerned that we are seeing such significant, such serious, such grave allegations about someone paying a bribe for an oil company and at the same time, no movement towards a petroleum commission that would remove the oil industry from the hands of political interference,” he argued.

Low added, “This to me is troubling and until we see an investigation on these allegations (it) should continue to distress each and every right-thinking Guyanese.”

Jagdeo’s corruption allegations

Jagdeo was accused by his friend, Su Zhi Rong in an exclusive Vice News documentary of accepting bribes in the oil sector and for the planned Amaila hydro project.

In the 24-minutes documentary, released by Vice News, a New York based under cover reporting agency that exposes corruption by political leaders, Jagdeo was recorded in his home having a conversation with two Chinese; one was his friend Su and the other, an undercover reporter, Chan, posing as an investor.

In the recording, Jagdeo was heard saying, “You’ll get the support. Su is my friend; he gets all the support…Su deals with all the agreements. I don’t, I don’t…the thing is that my thing is that I’m in government so I can, I assist from government side. That’s it.”

Su then interjected in Mandarin, urging Mr. Chan not to talk about the bribe there but was assured by Su in the foreign language, “Don’t worry, I will give him [Jagdeo] the money with you.”

The discussions however took a more damning turn as the Chinese duo left the home of the Vice President. In the hidden camera that continued recording, Su was heard telling the reporter that the Vice President’s hands are “very clean”. He went on to tell Mr. Chan, “Other amounts of money we’ve handled before have been much bigger, like from the oil company. The hydroelectric power plant needs tens of millions of dollars. He’ll never admit that he’s involved in this.”

In Su’s conversation with the Vice reporter, he claimed to have brokered among other deals, the Amalia Falls Hydro project reportedly won through the payment of a massive bribe.

Vice News reporter, Isobel Yeung had interviewed Jagdeo in February 2022 to question his involvement in corruption and bribe-taking as alleged by his friend. Jagdeo later updated the full interview with Vice News on February 7, 2022.

It wasn’t until later that year that Vice News released its documentary. See link below (The conversation quoted above can be found 14:00 into the video.) https://youtu.be/sOOFSJqBYTY

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• bribery, control, Holder, Jagdeo, oil, Petroleum Commission

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