AFC says it has evidence of secret PPP bank accounts
The Alliance For Change (AFC), which forms part of the coalition Government, says it has evidence of secret bank accounts and other assets held by the Opposition. The explosive claims were made yesterday by AFC in response to statements by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) over the postponement of Parliament on November 12. The Coalition Government had said that a number of important overseas fora which officials had to attend had prompted the postponement. The Opposition last week reportedly said that it believed that the postponement is as a result of the Coalition Government trying to avoid debate on a motion on a recent salary adjustment for Members of Parliament and Ministers. The AFC yesterday, however, said it finds this to be hypocritical for the simple reason that it was the PPP, when faced with a motion of ‘No Confidence’ in 2014, not only postponed the sitting of the National Assembly but shut down the House. “The PPP was fearful of that motion to the extent that it recklessly prorogued the Parliament which was derailed for a full nine months. It was the APNU+AFC Coalition Government that rescued Parliament and re-convened the Assembly after the polls.” AFC said that the coalition is ready to debate any motion from the Opposition which seemed to be playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Parliament. This was evident from its first boycotted important sittings, and then, not to lose pay for its MPs, quietly slipped into the House whilst petitioning the court to declare the Parliament illegal. “Our party is armed with cogent facts and statistics that would put the PPP to shame for giving its fat cat super salaries and perks for stashing away fabulous sums in secret bank accounts and causing the disappearance of vehicles and other state assets, all of which is coming to the public’s attention now with a series of revelations and disclosures.” The party said that it supports action to follow through the revelations with recovery of state assets which have been misappropriated and for prosecution where necessary. “The AFC sees the hullabaloo over salary adjustments as a red-herring to divert attention from the PPP’s destruction of the Guyana economy, bankrupting the sugar industry and failure to find alternative markets for rice when it became aware of the collapse, under its rule, of the Venezuela deal.” As a coalition partner, the AFC made it clear that it is fully committed to Parliamentary democracy and a functioning House but recognizes that important strategic Government business must be given attention in the national interest. “This is particularly at this time when, as a nation, we are organizing to secure our national petroleum assets and defend threats to our national sovereignty.” The claims by the AFC of secret bank accounts would come at a time when a former senior Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, and her personal assistant are facing criminal charges for the transfer of several state vehicles to themselves and others shortly before elections. Several audits into state agencies are underway. But there has been growing impatience at the pace of investigations and whether charges are likely for some of the accusations that have been levied by the coalition while they were in opposition- prior to the May 11 General Elections that they won. Recently, a lawyer wrote a local commercial bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, complaining that account details of Dr. Westford and her personal assistant, Margaret Cummings, have been leaked.
