Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has made it clear that Stabroek Block operator, ExxonMobil Guyana cannot claim there no conflict of interest with newly elected Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, while he is still on the company’s payroll.
During a capping stack event for the media on Tuesday Exxon’s President, Alistair Routledge was questioned by media regarding concerns that arose from Hughes’ dual roles as a political leader and partner at law firm, Hughes and Stoby which is a legal representative for ExxonMobil Guyana.
In response, Routledge had said, “We comply with all laws and regulations here and internationally. So we don’t believe we have any conflict of interest, any issues.”
At his customary weekly press conference today, Jagdeo noted Routledge’s claim affirming, “They (Exxon) want to judge their own conflict of interest and they can’t do that. Exxon is a conflicted party because they have on their payroll in the country of Guyana, the leader of a political party.”
He further noted that the AFC is represented in the National Assembly and holds several parliamentary seats which places it in a position to have a say on oil and gas policies. Therefore, Hughes–despite his claims that he will not engage in matters of oil and gas unless he is elected President, is still in a compromising position.
One would recall Hughes’ recent claim that while his firm represents ExxonMobil, he has never personally managed the oil company’s portfolio. During an AFC press conference last week the politician said, “In relation to Exxon, I can specifically say I am not the partner that manages Exxon, and I have never managed Exxon at all as a partner. The way the firm is structured, different clients are managed by different partners and even by some Senior Associates.”
However, Jagdeo dismantled Hughes’ claim, highlighting that just eight days before he was elected leader of the AFC, he represented ExxonMobil Guyana in a case brought against the company’s partners and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by environmental activist, Ramon Gaskin. Gaskin had filed an appeal to the CCJ seeking orders to have Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd (Hess) and China National Offshore Oil Cooperation Guyana (CNOOC) obtain separate environmental permits for their involvement in the local oil sector.
“But he says clearly to the people of this country ‘I don’t handle this portfolio it’s handled by another person’….and then look at this, eight days before (his election as AFC leader), Nigel Hughes is there on a court case with Raymond Gaskin vs Minister of Natural Resources and others,” Jagdeo outlined. He also noted that Hughes stated on the record during the appeal, that he is representing ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC.
Jagdeo said that the opposition consistently claims that his government is in the pockets of Exxon, but, this situation shows if nothing else–that his administration has strong positions on transparency and, it is the AFC that appears no now more than ever to be in the oil giant’s pockets.
