Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo hinted at a possible investigation into a potential conflict of interest involving ExxonMobil Guyana and newly elected Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes, during his press conference today.
While addressing the issue, Jagdeo suggested scrutiny may be necessary due to the new leader’s business relationship with the oil giant via his firm.
The Hughes, Fields and Stoby Law Firm, where Hughes is a senior partner, has been contracted by ExxonMobil to provide legal services. Jagdeo asserted that Hughes’ involvement with Exxon extends beyond a typical client-lawyer relationship, given Hughes’ political standing.
“We are watching what Exxon and the others will do and the first-tier contractors, and this may necessitate a formal investigation into all these matters. I am making it clear today. There are a lot of politically exposed people.
“He is politically exposed as he pointed out; his wife is a Member of Parliament. It was not an issue because we didn’t want to discriminate, but what has changed is that now he has gone to the AFC,” Jagdeo stated from his Freedom House party headquarters.
Hughes, who has been recognized as a politically exposed person under Guyana’s laws, has in turn stated that he would sever ties with ExxonMobil if elected to public office or if he assumes a significant governmental role. However, Jagdeo insists that Hughes’ business dealings with the oil company warrant scrutiny now that he leads a political party.
“Now that we are looking at this…let me make it clear that Exxon has a lot to answer because Nigel Hughes, knowing him, will not want to resign. He would want to collect the money and still be leader of the AFC, and conflict of interest would not bother him at all,” Jagdeo remarked.
Hughes wasted no time in responding to Jagdeo’s comments made today, stating he would welcome any probe into his relationship with ExxonMobil.
Speaking to a local media house, Hughes suggested that a thorough investigation could reveal significant information.
“I welcome any probe, investigation, or Commission of Inquiry that Mr. Jagdeo wants to initiate between Exxon and myself. There is a lot of information that may come out that I think would be very useful, and I welcome it. I certainly welcome it,” Hughes said.
Hughes clarified that while his firm represents ExxonMobil, he has never personally managed the oil company’s portfolio. “Our firm, since my father was alive and since the 1970s, has represented oil companies all the way through, even before the discovery. We have been representing oil companies, and there are different partners.
“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,” he explained.
Hughes promised to provide further details on the matter at an AFC press conference scheduled for tomorrow. He emphasized the complexity of his firm’s operations and the independence of its partners in handling client portfolios, implying that his role within the firm should not be conflated with direct involvement with ExxonMobil’s legal affairs.
