Georgetown: After the controversial dismissal of former Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) CEO, the power company has appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Technical) Colin Welch as the interim.
According to the power company, “ GPL wishes to inform its valued customers and the general public that the following interim appointments were made on Monday, August 17, 2015:-Mr. Colin Welch Deputy Chief Executive Officer-Technical has been designated interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Renford Homer Senior Divisional Director – Commercial Services and Information Technology has been designated interim Deputy Chief Executive Officer. The interim appointments will continue until the new Board of Directors is installed, hence, Advertisements to fill existing vacancies on GPL’s Executive Management Structure will be executed.”
Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Technical), Colin Welch, was hired in 2013 and placed in charge of the state-owned power company’s Loss Reduction Department. He was also responsible for overseeing GPL’s multi-billion dollar projects. However, there is no evidence that the vacancy was ever advertised.
There are also indications that the position did not exist before and was created in 2013 to accommodate him.
He is reportedly earning in excess of $2 million per month and was said to have been hired directly by the Board of Directors of GPL on the recommendations of Former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds with whom he is related.
Dindyal, prior to being dismissed, was overseeing the process and was expected to engage Minister Patterson, whom he reports to given that the GPL Board was dissolved.
The Deputy CEO visited the office in the company of a policeman and seized the office keys, company phones and issued letters to Senior Loss Reduction Manager, Loaknauth Singh, and Senior Investigator David Kaladin, ordering them to proceed on administrative leave. He also instructed the security not to allow the two managers back into the office. Welch, reportedly, did not only lock the two managers out of the office, but went the extra mile to install additional locks on the office building.
Dindyal had to subsequently revoke the order the very day, leading a heated exchange, where, according a video of the incident, a visibly annoyed Dindyal resorted to the use of expletives.
Dindyal further disclosed gar one of the managers, a week ago, began an investigation of bills submitted by Welch while on a work visit to the Essequibo Coast after red flags were raised.
On the recorded confrontation, Dindyal is heard making references to “fraud” and the possibility of jail time for Welch, although it was not clear if it was in reference to the investigation that was launched.
The GPL Deputy CEO initially defended his actions by purporting to be acting on instructions from Minister Patterson. However, asked about this claim, Patterson was emphatic in stressing that he gave no such instruction.
Meanwhile, GPL Chairman Winston Brassington underscored that Dindyal was supposed to give six months notice to renew his contract but he did not.
The GPL Board, on its scorecard, gave Dindyal 9.5 out of the 15 percent; 21 percent of 50 percent for his operational direction, business performance and planning; 7 out of 20 percent for management and human resource – and six out of 15 percent for governance and reporting.
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