The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) yesterday announced that it is in receipt of information that Minister of Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes’ company — VideoMega Productions — was “handed” a multi-million dollar contract from the Department of Energy. But the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) has since rejected the “malicious allegations”, saying instead that the Energy Department worked in compliance with all procurement rules and regulations.
PPP claimed that the usual procurement process was not followed. The party, through its executive member, Gail Teixeira, also expressed concern that the contract might have been one for VideoMega to further the election campaign of the APNU+AFC government. Teixeira said that VideoMega was being paid to produce brochures, television and radio advertisements.
This media house contacted Head of the Department of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe who said that due process was followed for the award of the contract. Dr. Bynoe did not go into details as to the value of the contract.
However, MoTP said that the Department of Energy contracted Video Mega Productions to “develop three (3) sixty second television and radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) at a cost of eight hundred and thirty-two thousand (G$832,000), as part of its public awareness and sensitization campaign with regards to the Co-operative Republic of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector…It should be emphasized that the Department of Energy worked closely with the Ministry’s Procurement Unit in finalizing this contract.”
The Ministry of the Presidency stressed that the Department of Energy is not engaged in any “incestuous relationship” as indicated by Teixeira and has from its inception, worked in compliance with all rules and regulations relative to the procurement of goods and services.
Minister Cathy Hughes has also noted that she has is no longer the managing director of the company and that she was not even aware of the contract.
