By Abena Rockcliffe Even after spending millions of dollars on a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to examine the sugar industry, the coalition Government is still not clear on the direction in which the industry is heading.It has been over two months since the Chairman of the COI,Chile Jersey, Vibert Parvatan, handed over the report to the Ministry of Agriculture but the report remains under Cabinet’s consideration. In fact, Cabinet is yet to decide whether it will adhere to the recommendations of the CoI report.Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo,Nike Air Max 2018, recently told Kaieteur News that the report is being “interrogated at the moment and we will see where that will take the industry. Also we want the industry to be able to stand on its own feet.”He said that the government is looking to set aside another $12B for GuySuCo. According to the Prime Minister, these bailouts may very well continue to be given to GuySuCo “until the industry is able to recover.”“I cannot say much about these things (continuous bailouts) it has to do with the industry showing signs of recovery and then that will determine how much the government will reach out to the industry.”Nagamootoo pointed to the retreat which Cabinet had a few weeks ago to consider the report.He said that that retreat ended with a number of Ministers having several outstanding questions for some of the Commissioners who made mainly power point presentations.“We were shown power point presentations. We asked the presenters to distribute the slides to us. But some of the key Ministers were not there (at the retreat.) These included Ministers who are dealing with the economic and financial issues so we asked for another retreat to bring back the presenters of the report face to face with Cabinet colleagues,” said Nagamootoo.Nagamootoo said that on that occasion,World Baseball Classic Jerseys 2017, Ministers will get their outstanding questions answered. “Then we will need another retreat to specifically deal with the recommendations.”Therefore there is no way that sugar workers will get any word about the inquiry before next year.Nagamootoo said, “I do not believe that it is something that we will want to put off for too long but at the same time this step by step evaluation and consultation process must be finished.”He indicated that the recommendations are very weighty and he used that to explain why Cabinet is taking so long to deal with the report. “I do not think we just want to rush over because we are dealing with some serious recommendations. I can tell you that they are very serious, I have seen the recommendations and they have far reaching effects on the future of the sugar industry,” said Nagamootoo.He added,Baker Mayfield Jersey, “While we want to see the production going up and that attention is paid to worker conditions etc, we also want to see the industry start making profits so it can pay its debt and not go under because of its indebtedness.”He admitted that taxpayers are basically subsidizing GuySuCo.Many, especially those in the sugar industry,2018 Nike Air Max 90 Essential, remain concerned about the findings of the COI set up to examine the sugar industry; government remains tight-lipped, refusing to let out any detail.Back in November, some six weeks after the report was released, Cabinet finally decided to set aside time to examine the findings.The report was late in itself, since the commissioners had asked for additional time to complete its work.Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder had said that it would be premature for him to make any pronouncement relating to the report before it reaches Cabinet.The Minister indicated that following Cabinet’s perusal of the report, a decision will be made at the next Cabinet meeting as to the way forward. But that did not happen. Instead, Kaieteur News is now hearing that at least two other retreats will be required.The government had said that a COI was urgent and many were of the opinion that implementation of the recommendations would have been equally important.Chairman of the COI Vibert Parvatan presented the Commission’s findings to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, George Jervis on October, 17.Parvatan had told Kaieteur News that he accepts the harsh reality that whatever has been recommended will certainly not meet the expectations of all as, “there will be persons who are not satisfied.”The Chairman noted that there were political sensitivities to the subject given its importance, relevance and significance to Guyana and its people. He explained that the report includes an executive summary,Cheap Jordan Sneakers Wholesale, the special technical subcom

A former senior official of the New Building Society (NBS) is calling on the new administration to finally bring closure to his case of injustice.Former Chief Executive Officer, Maurice Arjoon, and his wife, Janick Dai Arjoon, along with their daughter were both sitting in the National Assembly last Thursday when the completed report of Ombudsman,Air Max 90 Black And White Womens, Justice Winston Moore on Arjoon’s complaint was tabled.It would be a small victory for the former executive who says that his life and that of his family was ripped apart eight years ago after he and two other managers were wrongfully charged.? He now wants to see an end to the matter. He had been on the verge on retiring when he was charged.NBS dismissed him and he lost his benefits. He has been fighting to get back those benefits which amount to millions.“It is over eight years since the two NBS managers and myself were wrongfully charged for a crime. It resulted in immense suffering to our families also,” he said Thursday.“I am kindly asking our new Government to treat this matter as urgent and ensure that all the victims finally get justice and that the perpetrators are dealt with according to law.”Awaiting justice: Former NBS CEO, Maurice Arjoon, and his wife, Janick Dai, during the National Assembly sitting last Thursday.In the recommendation section of the report, special investigator,NBA Jerseys Store, Henry Chester, DSM,Gordon Hayward Jersey, called for the police to forward all files with exhibits to the Ombudsman office, and re-prosecution instituted against all accused person for further study.Arjoon was advised to seek private action as a form of redress.The damning report by the Office of the Ombudsman has concluded that police wrongfully charged the former CEO and two of his managers for a massive $69M fraud at the NBS in 2006.Arjoon claimed that he was framed after he refused to illegally endorse the lending of $2B, in 2006.Arjoon’s decision to only lend $350M in keeping with the country’s financial laws apparently angered former President Bharrat Jagdeo who allegedly threatened to deal with the CEO.The Ombudsman’s report also questioned the role that Director of Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali-Hack, and her husband, Sheik-ul-Hack, played in the investigations.The report also questioned the police over missing key exhibits and failure to follow-up of obvious questions.The report also called for the case to be re-opened.Also charged were Operations Manager, Kent Vincent and co-worker, Kissoon Baldeo.The high profile case was widely reported in the media not only because of the amount involved, but because of the fact that NBS is the biggest mortgage lender in Guyana.For seven years, Arjoon and Vincent had said,? the stain of the charges remained,Blake Swihart Jersey, despite the court case being dropped after the main witness- the holder of the account – had stopped coming to court.The case had devastated the men.In January last year, Arjoon seized an opportunity, writing to the newly sworn in Ombudsman,Cheap Air Max Shoes For Sale, Justice Moore, to examine the case.The Ombudsman’s office has the authority to examine wrongdoings in public office.The report said that the men suffered a grave injustice and should be compensated for losing seven years of their lives.Vincent is now the Chief Executive Officer of Food For The Poor, one of the biggest non-governmental organizations in the country. He has sued NBS for $500M.Arjoon had said that he has forgiven his accusers. He said that his dismissal left him with a huge mortgage payment every month. For months,Anthony Stolarz Jersey, he could not even speak because of the shock.The Arjoon family was literally ostracized by persons that they once knew.“I told reporters that I am innocent and the truth will come out. Although internal and external investigations at NBS and the trial at the Magistrates’ Courts cleared us, it is solidified seven and a half years later by this report from Guyana’s Ombudsman.”His photos too had been splashed more than anyone in the local newspapers.He said last year: “The persons who conspired to get us charged took away seven and half years and continuing of our lives and that of our families. We have suffered immensely.? Their actions can be considered evil and criminal…”He had asked then for Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali-Hack; Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh and former NBS Chairman, Dr. Nanda Gopaul, and others involved in his “frame-up” to be “relieved of their positions, investigated and be dealt with accor

– GRA urged to reduce risk of fraudTwo companies owe the Guyana Revenue Authority in excess of $12B in taxes but complex court cases may see no monies coming into the treasury for a while.In one case, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been dueling in court for almost 15 years now. In the other,Cheap NHL Jerseys, for over five years.Yesterday,Nike Air Max Zero White, Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur, before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), disclosed that at least one of the unnamed companies may be fighting its case before of the Caribbean Court of Justice. Sattaur was at the time being grilled over the 2006 Auditor General’s Report on GRA.The official complained that the minor court cases take as long as three to four years to be handled for persons failing to file tax returns. The fine, on conviction, is $15,000.Along with the Commissioner-General were several of his managers.One of the ways forward may be the use of a special court to look after matters involving GRA cases, it was suggested.The issue of the fraud at the entity also came up. According to Sattaur, GRA had taken a policy stand sometime back not to accept personal cheques. Businesses conducting business have to either pay cash or with a manager’s cheque.However,Cheap Colorado Avalanche Jerseys, with some banks charging a percentage of the total amount of the manager’s cheque as their fee, many businesses are opting to pay cash.This has proven a problem for GRA as was evidenced by a major $300M fraud which was discovered last year. According to the Commissioner-General,Marshon Lattimore Jersey, the staffers involved had targeted the large amount of cash that GRA has to collect.One business which was blacklisted from using cheques was cited as paying tens of millions of dollars in cash. And this is a problem that the GRA has to contend with.This same thing again happened recently when over $600,000 was stolen by a GRA cashier at a city wharf.PNCR’s Shadow Finance Minister,Kurt Warner Cardinals Jersey, Winston Murray, who was among the Parliamentarians questioning Sattaur, urged that the entity examine ways to reduce the cash transactions.Chairperson of the PAC, Volda Lawrence,NCAA Baseball Jerseys, suggested that the entity may have to consider shifts for cashiers where a balancing system will have to be done at certain intervals to reduce the possibilities of theft.