NICIL Deputy’s involvement a blatant conflict of interest – Chris Ram, RamjattanThe role of a senior official of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) in registering a movie theater company earlier this year has been described as a blatant conflict of interest.The movie theater company, Multicinemas Guyana Inc. and the government are currently embroiled in a court action over a piece of prime land at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara with hardware giant, Toolsie Persaud Limited.Toolsie Persaud had also named the Attorney General and NICIL in that court action.Christopher RamKhemraj RamjattanAccording to Multicinemas’ Articles of Incorporation, NICIL’s second in command, Marcia Nadir-Sharma, is listed and has signed as the Incorporator.This is clearly a conflict of interest for Nadir-Sharma to be acting as an attorney-at-law while she is holding the substantive post of being the Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of NICIL, say attorneys-at-law Christopher Ram and Khemraj Ramjattan.NICIL is a government-owned agency responsible for subscribing for, taking or otherwise acquiring and holding the Government shares, stocks,China NFL Jerseys, debentures or other securities of any company, co-operatives societies or body corporate. It has been facilitating the sale and lease of state lands and assets within recent years.Arms’ lengthLike Ram, Ramjattan who is the AFC’s Presidential Candidate for the upcoming national elections,Cheap Jerseys China, is of the view that an attorney other than Nadir should have incorporated the private company.“State lawyers do not indulge in this kind of private practice. Moreover, being the lawyer who is NICIL’s second in charge, with NICIL selling to Multicinemas, mean that the transaction could not be at arms’ length at all.”Ramjattan explained that the private company and NICIL had one common factor- Nadir- Sharma.“This whole transaction is tainted as a result. Clearly unethical, it may include some illegality.”The land case has taken heightened significance with government admitting over the past week that it has already sold off over 10 acres of land at Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara – which has been the source of litigation – to a Trinidad-based company that wants to build a movie and entertainment complex.The sod-turning of MovieTowne was scheduled for two Thursdays ago, but was cancelled the same day. One day before, a judge had granted an injunction ordering equipment, workers and others off the land until a determination could be made on an application filed by Toolsie Persaud Limited.Last Sunday, Kaieteur News broke the story on the legal battle over a tract of land at Turkeyen, part of which included the piece which MovieTowne was set to build on.On Monday night, the government accused Kaieteur News of publishing yet another ‘biased’ and ‘irresponsible’ report.The newspaper had reported on the court documents and what it knew of the sod-turning ceremony.Unclear anyone?“The article appears to be totally a publication of what Mr. Toolsie Persaud has stated in court papers. The article makes no attempt to ascertain the facts or to present a balanced view,” the statement from government said.It was unclear what government meant by “ascertain the facts” since newspapers and the media are barred from commenting or seeking comments on matters before the court…at least until they have concluded.Kaieteur News had mentioned that the invitation for the sod-turning event at Turkeyen had the printed name of businessman, Brian James, an official of Auto Supplies Limited.NICIL’s Marcia Nadir-SharmaAddressing this, the statement said that by referencing associates of the Government, the Kaieteur News “again seeks to distort the true facts of the matter.”While not naming Brian James, government insisted that he is neither an officer or shareholder of Multi-Cinemas (Guyana) Inc or its sister company.The statement did not mention the fact that Brian James’ Auto Supplies offices at 306 Peter Rose Streets,NFL Jerseys Store, Queenstown,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, is the same registered address of Multicinemas Guyana Inc.“Government considers KN article to be a total misrepresentation. Contrary to the report in KN, the CCJ never ordered Government to transfer title to TPL.”Kaieteur News was only reporting on what the court documents said.Nothing improper“Government asserts that the sale of land owned by Government,Supply NFL Jerseys, with such ownership rights being reaffirmed by the CCJ, is proper. Given that this matter is currently before the courts, Government will address the details of this matter at an appropriate time in the future.”It is unc

– we don’t know of any review – CJIA contractorThe Chinese contractor involved in the US$150M Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project yesterday refuted allegations of corruption against the company.Zhongdong Tang, China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC)’s Regional Director, also revealed that it was his company that first approached the Guyana Government with the proposal.CHEC officials (from left) - Jennifer Armond, Communications Manager; Zhongdong Tang,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, CHEC’s Regional Director; Colvin Heath-London, Senior Business Manager and Huntley Medley, Communications Consultant.During a press conference at the Pegasus Hotel’s Essequibo Room,Wholesale Jerseys Online, Tang advised reporters to ask Government about the feasibility study and other factors of the project. He did say that his company undertook the feasibility study at its own cost. He said that CHEC was an investor company seeking business opportunities all over the world.CHEC also denied that the Guyana Government has halted the expansion project, saying that it was never officially informed of any halt in the venture to facilitate a review.Government, in response to newspaper reports on the project,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, had said that it has halted the CJIA project to facilitate a probe into the allegations of corruption against CHEC. Despite those statements, CHEC has reportedly been continuing to conduct geotechnical in areas around CJIA.The company also denied that the project was signed secretly in Jamaica in November last year. Rather the signing was done in Guyana in the Ministry of Works.CHEC, under heavy scrutiny by Guyana and Jamaica for two major multi-million-dollar contracts and a string of media reports of bribery,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, decided to meet with the local media to answer all questions pertaining to the project.Accompanying Zhongdong Tang,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, the CHEC’s Regional Director; to the press conference were Colvin Heath-London, Senior Business Manager; Jennifer Armond, Communications Manager, and Huntley Medley, Communications Consultant.The Chinese company insisted that it is in the business of finding projects to invest in and had approached government in early 2011 to rebuild CJIA. Government agreed and after several meetings in Guyana, the final designs were approved and a feasibility study was started. In all, the process took around nine months from start to finish for CHEC to seal the deal.In September,Authentic NFL Jerseys Cheap, last, the company claimed, China held a major economic forum in Trinidad establishing a US$1B fund to help develop the Caribbean. It was this fund that Guyana sought for the project.In November, days before the end of the two-term limit of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, a US$138M contract was signed between CHEC and the Government of Guyana. The Guyana Government has since said it is putting some money on its own, pushing the final costs to over US$150M.The company denied that the deal was secret, arguing that it only came out in the Jamaica press because its headquarters are located there. “We had no intentions to hide it.”Works Minister Robeson Benn, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of CJIA becoming a corporation, earlier this year, explained that the deal was signed in his office but before he could take it to Cabinet, Jamaica released the information, catching the government on the back foot.According to Tang, CHEC has now come to Guyana to meet with government and sector groups to clear the air on media reports. Meetings have been held with the board of CJIA, the Ministry of Public Works, government, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and the Private Sector Commission.Regarding reports that the World Bank has debarred CHEC and its parent company from projects from that entity, the Chinese company said that this was an issue that was in the news since 2002 and has to do with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), a company which has since been taken over CHEC’s parent company in 2005. CRBC was accused of collusion in bids for a roads and bridge project for Philippines funded by the World Bank.Regarding reports that CHEC paid bribes to two Bangladeshi citizens, including the son of former Prime Minister, the company argued that it was a consultant that it hired that was involved. The PM’s son has been jailed in his absence.CHEC also denied that it was involved in giving bribes to a Chinese port official who has since been sentenced to death. Instead, according to Tang, “this matter, which is still in court in China, is not directly related to CHEC. China Harbo