Georgetown: Days after former Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon declared that a US firm was hired by the Government to counter arguments being peddled by the PPP in Washington, President David Granger on Friday said the Government has not hired JJ&B, LLC and has no contractual arrangement or affiliation with the said firm.
It is unclear at this time how the firm will react to the government here saying it has not hired JJ&B LLC despite the firm filing documents saying so.
The President in a press missive stated, “No Government funds were used to hire the firm. President Granger was not involved in the hiring of the said lobby firm. Further, the Ministry of the Presidency wishes to make pellucid that the President is not a citizen of the United States of America or any other foreign country as is being suggested by way of documents submitted to the United States Department of Justice and published in the press. He is Guyanese. The Ministry urges citizens to be responsible when making public statements and at all times seek out the truth rather than disseminating spurious claims.”
However, the document was filed with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act on March 31, 2020, but was recently uncovered earlier this week.
The statement issued Friday afternoon did not say whether the US lobby firm, JJ&B, LLC; was hired instead by the coalition of A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC).
Despite the President’s denial the legal documents filed by the company with the U.S. Department of Justice show the company landed a contract with the “Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana” of “Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Bourda Georgetown GUYANA.”
Harmon runs the President’s office, known as the Ministry of the President. In federal documents, the firm JJ&B, LLC said it was hired by the Government of Guyana, stating the Ministry of the Presidency’s address. It said the person it was engaging with is Harmon.
Harmon had admitted that the firm was hired by the Government, saying it was meant to counter arguments being peddled by the PPP in Washington.
The Director-General had said the false information is being spread by the PPP through a lobbyist firm it hired in 2019 –Mercury Public Affairs –for that purpose.
Public documents on the U.S Department of Justice website shows four other persons receiving US$8,000 each for an initial cumulative payment of US$72,000 from the Government of Guyana.
But Harmon later told the media that government funds were not being used and that it was “upset supporters” of APNU+AFC who were putting the money to pay the firm.
The US’ Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) requires certain agents of foreign principals who are engaged in political activities to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities.
That dossier submitted by the firm even listed the President and Harmon as citizens of the United States.
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