It was the governing People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that brought to the attention of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) questionable transactions conducted by former A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, including the alleged sale and vesting of Kingston, Georgetown wharf facilities to B.K. Marine, a private entity. While it was the government that sounded the alarm, its intention was not in retaliation to the arrests of PPP/C top officials during APNU+AFC’s time in office, says Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall.
“This is not tit for tat, and this not payback – nothing like that. I say so because the transaction that the police are currently investigating bears no resemblance to anything concerning what the PPP leaders were being arrested for…There is no basis to compare,” the AG said.
Indeed, several PPP/C executives, including Nandlall, were arrested and questioned by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for various transactions conducted during that party’s 23-year rule, with some members being charged, including Irfaan Ali. Those charges were dropped after he became the Head of State.
Nandlall said last night that he will rely on facts and not revenge to prove Jordan’s involvement in the questionable sale of the wharf in a civil case filed by the government against the former Minister, B.K. Marines and others. Nandlall said that the transaction is “one of the most vulgar” he has ever seen. This alone, he noted, prompted the government to alert investigators and to take other actions against Jordan.
According to SOCU, the transaction relates to the sale and vesting of the state’s largest wharf facilities valued approximately GY$8 billion (US$40,000,000).
SOCU said the vesting order noted the property was sold without encumbrance and liabilities with no further monies owed by the purchaser. It added that the transport was subsequently issued for the property and the value stated was GY$400,000,000 (US$2,000,000)”.
Further, the Agreement of Sale, according to SOCU stated that Title must only pass upon full payment of purchase price, but BK Marines Limited reportedly paid only 10 percent of this purchase price, that is GY$20 million (US$100,000) and Minister Jordan issued a vesting order passing Title to the purchaser, without the payment of any further sum of monies.
SOCU arrested Jordan last Thursday and while in custody, he claimed of feeling unwell. He was subsequently taken for medical attention and later discharged.
