Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia is not at all pleased that Auditor General, Deodat Sharma’s report for the year 2018, has been released before it is laid in the National Assembly.
Statia, in a statement to the press said, “…I must first admit how flummoxed I was to learn that leading media houses are in possession of the Auditor General’s Final Report for 2018 and I as a key auditee, did not receive a final version of such report.”
Furthermore, the tax chief said that he first noticed leaks being made of the report since July/August 2019, but was at the time prepared to give the Auditor General the benefit of doubt for its leakage since his office, like that of GRA and other government departments, are like sieves.
But following that period, there were subsequent reports on the 2018 report which were extensive and for that, Statia said the blame for the leakage can only be placed exclusively on Sharma’s shoulders. The GRA Commissioner General said that this represents a breach of confidentiality; a fundamental tenet in the work and life of a professional auditor, and is tantamount to professional negligence on his part.
“Such negligence is surely one of the many criteria which would have allowed for sanctions were he a Professional Accountant,” the tax Chief added.
He further called on the media to be cautious in its reporting from the report which he does not have a copy of, while noting that the reports that he has seen thus far contain a number of inaccuracies on the performance of the authority.
In conclusion, he stated, “Before naysayers attempt to vilify the work of the GRA and obfuscate the facts, they should not only look at the height of progress made, but also the depths from which we came. Albeit, I stand unfettered and unbothered as I continue to serve faithfully, the taxpaying public of Guyana.”
