Black Immigrant Daily News

…draft report to be submitted by next month

Work by an American-Guyanese consortium of auditors, to audit approximately US$7.2 billion in ExxonMobil cost oil claims, is nearing completion, with the head of the consortium saying that a preliminary report could be presented to the Government in the early part of next month.

This was revealed by Professor Floyd Haynes, in an exclusive interview with this publication. The RHVC consortium he leads (Ramdihal and Haynes, Vitality Consulting) and Eclisar Financial & Professional Services (EFP), joined forces for the audit with United States (US) based companies Martindale Consultants Inc, and Squire Paton Boggs, earlier this year.

Work on the audit of fiscal years 2018, 2019 and 2020, started in August. According to Haynes, they have almost completed their field work and will now move into preparing an interim draft report. Once that draft report is submitted, the Government is expected to examine it and provide their feedback.

“We expect to wrap up field work early next week. By the end of next week for sure. Most of it we’re already done. And then we expect to have an interim draft report submitted to the Ministry of Natural Resources, in the first week of December. That is the plan,” Haynes said.

It was explained by Professor Haynes that after they put together the local consortium, they went out and found an international auditor in the form of Martindale, with the requisite experience. According to the Professor, the goal was to work alongside them and learn. It is a goal that Haynes believes was accomplished.

“The goal is to build local capacity, with the idea that over a period of time, we could have the talent here that could take on the audit, on behalf of the Government. The way we went about doing that, we had two of our staff, local guys, embedded in the audit team. They flew to Oklahoma and have been there for six weeks, working side by side alongside Martindale consultants, the lead auditors.”

“Our guys just returned, I think, last week… and going forward, we intend to increase that number. We may be able to accelerate the pace at which that knowledge and skills are transferred. But as of now I think we’re accomplishing those objectives,” Professor Haynes explained.

Fully cooperating

Haynes also emphasised that ExxonMobil was fully cooperative and willing to provide information to the auditors upon request. According to Haynes, the process went smoothly under the circumstances.

“I would say they’ve been extraordinarily cooperative. The process of itself went very smoothly. With these types of things, back and forth. So, in all that I would say it went well. They were forthcoming with information.”

“We had questions. They were willing to provide explanations. Some of the explanations we may or may not have agreed with. But nonetheless they were provided to us. And all of the information we requested, they responded,” he said.

Haynes also cautioned that the cost oil audit was not a witch-hunt. While he assured that they left no stone unturned in their quest for the truth, he called it a mistake to accuse an oil company of inflated costs without first examining their books. As he put it, it is not something that can be litigated on the pages of a newspaper.

“I want to make sure, in fact I think it’s a little reckless for any audit, to go into an audit with a preconceived notion that the party under audit is guilty. It’s just not how it’s done. Unless you’ve looked at the books, examined it in details, no one can arrive at that conclusion,” Professor Haynes said.

The US$751,000 cost recovery audit contract, which covers profit oil from the years 2018, 2019 and 2020, was signed in May of this year in a room full of stakeholders and suppliers, during a workshop on local content. Preceding fiscal years have already been audited.

According to Annex C of the PSA Guyana signed with Exxon, pre-contract costs “shall include four hundred and sixty million, two hundred and thirty-seven hundred thousand and nine hundred and eighteen United States Dollars (US$460,237,918) in respect of all such costs incurred under the 1999 Petroleum Agreement prior to the year ended 2015”.When the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government assumed office in 2020, it took over the shepherding of audits for ExxonMobil’s pre-contract and other pre-2017 costs. The pre-contract cost audit was conducted by the UK firm, IHS Markit, which was hired by the previous Administration four years after oil was first discovered offshore.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

…as veterans complain of bottlenecks, red tape faced at entity

After being informed of a host of issues being faced by veterans at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), President Dr Irfaan Ali has stepped in to arrange a special three-day engagement at the Guyana Defence Force’s Headquarters to address these matters.

While speaking at the 13th annual Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Veterans’ Monument located at GDF’s Base Camp Ayanganna on Friday, the Head of State recognised that there are issues at the NIS that Government needs to look into and resolve.

To this end, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces committed to put together a team of NIS officers to conduct an exercise at the GDF Headquarters to specifically tackle challenges faced by veterans.

“Yes, NIS is a problem. I am offering now… to have the NIS team here for the next three days – from Monday to Wednesday – to sort out all the outstanding NIS issues that you have here with the veterans. You do not have to go line up and wait [at the NIS office],” President Ali indicated.

His intervention was in response to pleas by the President of the Guyana Veterans’ Legion (GVL), Retired Lt Col George Gomes, who requested assistance in addressing the various challenges veterans confront at the NIS.

Guyana Veterans’ Legion President Lt Col (ret’d) George Gomes

One of the issues he raised is the policy at NIS whereby if a person never made any claims at the NIS during their working years, when they retire and their health deteriorates, they are unable to make claims at the institution.

“People get sick when they get old. Before I retired from army, I don’t even believe I went to the army for anything – not even a spectacle. But now as a result of diabetes and these things, people are suffering [such as the] dialysis cases. But if you never reported it, and you never went to the NIS with it while you were working and while you were young, the NIS cannot give you anything.”

“Sir I am asking you to look into this. People are now getting sick when they are old and that rule at the NIS needs to be changed. We have to cater for our people in their old age,” he contended.

Another issue with the NIS that was highlighted by Gomes has to do with claims by newly retired veterans. He explained that during the massive 2005 floods in Guyana, many of GDF’s records were destroyed.

As a result, he pointed out that when persons now reach the retirement age and go to NIS to make their claims, they are being told that there is no record of their contributions.The GDF, he noted, has since come up with a system where they prepare letters indicating that the individual in question actively served as a soldier within the requisite years. However, Gomes said that the NIS does not recognise this letter.

“Once you were in the GDF, NIS was being deducted from you but the NIS administration is disrespecting and not honouring those letters. The GDF is a reputable organisation and I’m certain no officer would just give somebody a letter here to take to NIS if they were not a serving soldier,” the GVL President stated.

To this end, the veteran implored with the Head of State to have the NIS accept the GDF letters as a credible record for retirees to make claims on their contributions.

Meanwhile, President Ali further committed to implementing programmes and policies for the upliftment of Guyanese especially the men and women in uniform.

President Dr Irfaan Ali speaking at Friday’s wreath-laying ceremony

Only Thursday evening, the Guyanese leader announced an eight per cent salary increase for all public servants and revealed that the permanent salaries of public healthcare workers and members of the disciplined services are being reviewed. An announcement on the latter intervention is expected in the coming days.

Nevertheless, the Commander in Chief on Friday reminded of the steps already taken by his Government to enhance the lives of the serving members, particularly in the areas of housing and education.

“We have embarked on a programme that is allowing men and women in uniform today to own their own homes. I took a personal interest in ensuring that there is a special window to allow them to own their own homes, both at the Ministry of Housing and through the banking system…”

“I took a personal interest to ensure that their educational upliftment is being guaranteed. Never before did we ever have so many men and women in uniform doing a degree, a diploma or post-graduate training or a specialised training in the history of the Joint Services—never before,” he contended.

Moreover, President Ali reassured that his Administration intends to do a lot more for the country’s pensioners and elderly.

“We raised pension by 40 per cent. Yes, it’s still not enough. We will do more… We must do more for our pensioners and elderly, and we will do more. We will do a lot more. In my announcement, you heard me say that we are progressing in a very phased manner and the next set of announcements will shake some heels in this country,” the Head of State posited.

Since the PPP/C Administration took office in August 2020, senior citizens have benefitted dramatically from a number of initiatives including the increase in old age pension from $20,500 to $28,000. This measure alone placed $22 billion annually into the hands of pensioners.

Additionally, last year, this segment of the population benefitted from a one-off grant of $25,000. To further offset the rising cost of living, President Ali, for a second year, announced last month a $28,000 one-off cash grant which is currently being distributed to pensioners across the country.

Pensioners have also benefitted from the reintroduction of the water subsidy as well as easier access to their entitlements under the current Government.

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

Un tireur est suspecté d’avoir ouvert le feu dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche dans une discothèque LGBT à Colorado Springs aux Etats-Unis, tuant au moins cinq personnes et…

NewsAmericasNow.com

Black Immigrant Daily News

A pall of gloom continues to hover on social media following news that a popular motorcyclist died from injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle crash along the Orange Bay main road in Portland on Thursday night.

The deceased is Andre Jones, popularly known as ‘Big Red’, of Windsor Castle in Portland.

Jones was well-known throughout the parish for his stunt riding skills and other motorcycling techniques.

Police reports are that sometime after 6pm on Thursday, Jones was driving his motorcycle on the roadway, when he lost control and the bike collided with a Honda CRV motorcar.

Jones reportedly fell off the motorcycle and sustained multiple injuries.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The driver of the Honda CRV did not sustain any serious injuries from the crash.

Many persons expressed shock at the passing of the man they had known by his moniker, ‘Big Red’.

“Come back me G (Andre Jones). How wi ago feel fi know seh u nah deh yah fi reason wid we nuh more,” wrote one female on Instagram.

“Look how the whole ah wi did a reason yesterday (Wednesday). Bredda, a yesterday the whole ah wi a run joke enuh. Sigh,” she added.

Shared another female Instagram user: “Boy Big Red (Andre Jones), mi one cuz, how yuh gone leave wi fi cry suh? Miss you already. Is like a dream.”

Said one male social media user: “Mi g gone lef wi… Big Red, condolences and rest in peace. A just joke yuh give star. Smh.”

Commented another: “Condolences to your family bro bro. Never expect this one ’cause ur one real youth… Sleep in peace.”

NewsAmericasNow.com