Georgetown: The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has dropped misconduct in public office charges filed by the opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) against current and former Ministers of Health Volda Lawrence and George Norton on Monday.
Immediate after, Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Mclennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to further filed private charges on behalf his party against Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, Finance Minister Winston Jordan and former Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine with regards to the Durban Park project, where they said funds amounting to $906M were paid to a private company, Homestretch Development Inc (HDI).
On April 12, 2018 “misconduct in public office; Contrary to the common law” charges were brought by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) against former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington as it pertains to the sale of three plots of state land during the PPP’s tenure.
The move to press private charges against sitting Government Ministers was described by Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at a recent press conference as not being “tit for tat” as they were, according to him, a long time coming.
Jagdeo had said “this is not the end, we’re not stopping at these two charges, they’re several others who will be charged” as he addressed the charges filed against Singh and Brassington.
Jagdeo had asserted that if Government charges hold merit, then the cases filed by the PPP will also hold that same weight.
“… so if what Ashni Singh and Brassington did, which is follow a Cabinet instruction, is misconducting in a public office…They followed a Cabinet instruction, and did this…then these [Ministers’ breaches] are a million times worse because they result in large amounts of money leaving our treasury and going into private people’s pockets, then this has to be misconduct in public office if those are the standards now… If these issues, the cases that we are filing don’t amount to misconduct in public office, nothing can in this country and so we will test it in the courts now,” he contended.
Below is a copy of the full statement released by the DPP Chambers:
“The private criminal charges for the offence of Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to the Common Law instituted against Ministers Volda Lawrence and George Norton were discontinued by the Director of Public Prosecutions under Article 187 (1) ( c) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
These charges concern a grave issue under the criminal law in relation to two serving Ministers. In the interest of good governance in the State of Guyana such allegations ought first to have been reported to the Guyana Police Force for an investigation to be launched and the advice of the DPP sought.”
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