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Man gets six months for stealing road project wires Aug 06, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News The defendant, Rudolph Nurse Kaieteur News – A 45-year-old resident of ‘B’ Field in Sophia, Georgetown, was sentenced to six months in prison on Monday for stealing wires intended for use on the Conversation Tree road project. Rudolph Nurse, a father of three, appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore at Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to face a charge of simple larceny. The incident reportedly occurred on August 2, 2024, at Pike Street in Campellville, Georgetown. Workers from S. Jagmohan Construction and Generator Security Service had left the wires in place at the worksite when they finished their shift. The following day, a patrol team from the company observed Nurse at the worksite carrying a salt bag. Upon searching the bag, the missing wires were found. Nurse was apprehended and taken to the Prashad Nagar Police Outpost, where he was informed of the allegations but chose to remain silent. Subsequently, he was arrested and admitted during a video interrogation that he intended to sell the wires after picking them up from the site. The man pleaded guilty with an explanation. He told the magistrate that because of a recent surgery he did he is now unemployed. Nurse received a six-month prison sentence for the offense. Related Similar Articles

Prime minister says hinterland region to get internet by year end Aug 06, 2024 News Kaieteur News – In its effort to bridge the digital divide between the coast and Hinterland regions, Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips said on Sunday that the Government is working to provide internet connectivity to all Hinterland areas by year end. The Prime Minister mentioned this during a visit to Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven. In a press statement issued by the Prime Minister, he underscored the Government’s dedication to comprehensive development in Guyana’s Hinterland regions. Phillips emphasised the significant investments and infrastructural improvements being made by the government in the area. The Prime Minister  spoke on the expansion of the ground- breaking Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) devices initiative to Region Seven and the entire Hinterland, highlighting the on-going rollout of high-speed internet services across Guyana. The release stated, “Phase One successfully connected Regions one and two, while Phase Two is set to commence in August, beginning with Region Seven and progressively extending throughout the Hinterland.”  “We are bringing development to all your communities. Every community in the Upper Mazaruni will be developed, not only in sport, but in every other aspect of development,” Phillips said, while assuring the residents of Upper Mazaruni of continued developments across all sectors. Meanwhile, the press release further added that over the past four years, the Government has invested in hinterland communities by boosting indigenous leadership with the National Toshaos Council Secretariat and expanding land rights through a broader titling programme. Additionally, job creation has also been enhanced with the reinstated Community Service Officers (CSO) programme and Presidential Grants. “Youth development receives over $1bn annually, including $100m for the higher education of 800 hinterland students, while cultural preservations are being supported with $147m in 2024 to maintain Amerindian traditions and heritage,” the press statement highlighted. Furthermore Prime Minister Phillips stated, “From 2020 to now, we have spent over $70bn on hinterland development in all aspects. We have more to spend from 2024 and 2025—five years of development that will encompass all of Guyana, both the coastline and the hinterland.” On the issue of sports, Phillips who travelled to the region for the 25th Annual Upper Mazaruni District Games, at the Tunnel Tigers Sports ground, Kamarang/Warawatta Village, Region Seven highlighted the government’s commitment to sport development and to the Upper Mazaruni District Games. As such, the Prime Minister emphasized the Government’s dedication to improving the sport facility in the area. The Prime Minister in the press release highlighted that the Government thus far has spent a significant amount of money on the development of the Kamarang ground (Tunnel Tigers Sports ground), with the installation of lights featuring underground wiring, the construction of new stands, and rehabilitation works on the ground.  “We have spent some $21m in bringing the ground to this standard to host these games. That is how serious we are about sport in Guyana,” he stated. Additionally, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs donated $1.5m for the overall support of the games, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport contributed $1.7m in trophies and other support. Related Similar Articles

Guyana hits 668k barrels of oil in June Aug 06, 2024 News Map showing the three projects already producing oil in the Stabroek Block and the fourth planned development, Yellowtail Kaieteur News – ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), the operator of Guyana’s Stabroek Block recorded its highest production in June this year, after pushing the three Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels to produce a combined 668,000 barrels of oil. Data on the Ministry of Natural Resources website also shows that Guyana’s second oil project, Liza Two, recorded its highest daily production in June, reaching 260,000 barrels, well above the safety limit of the FPSO. The Liza Unity FPSO was designed to safely produce at 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) but reached a new record of 260,000 barrels on June 4, 2024. This milestone marks the highest production on record to date for a single project though the company did try to repeat this accomplishment. Data shows that the company recorded 258,000 and 257,000 barrels on June 8 and June 12 respectively at the Liza Two project. According to the data, on June 30, the company reported a daily production of 668,000 barrels- the highest on record since the country commenced production activities in 2019. Previously, the highest daily production was recorded on March 22, when the company pushed production to a whopping 651,000 barrels. In June the company broke its record with production reaching a high of 660,000 barrels of oil. Presently, all three FPSOs are producing above the initial design capacity. Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo said at a press conference in May that the ramping up of oil production beyond the safe operating limits is being done safely. The process according to him was analyzed by the technical staff of both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Experts previously warned however that the risk of an oil spill significantly increases with the accelerated production activities. It was reported that the US$2B oil spill guarantee provided by the Stabroek Block Co-Venturers does not cover the ramping up of oil production. The affiliate company guarantee, seen by this newspaper, makes it explicit “…the Operator is permitted to carry out the activities authorized by the Environmental Permits in accordance with their respective terms and conditions.” The Environmental Permits granted by the EPA were approved based on EIAs conducted by Exxon. These documents outline the company’s plans to produce oil at a specific capacity and assess the damage of an oil spill accordingly. The FPSOs were also designed to produce crude oil in accordance with the EIAs. VP Jagdeo when asked if government considered this in granting the company’s approval to breach the safety limits said he has requested a full report from the technical staff in this regard. Related Similar Articles

New heads of PUC, PSAT sworn in Aug 06, 2024 News Justice Beasraj Singh Roy is the new chairman of the Public Service Appellate Tribunal (PSAT) – President Ali stresses need for transparency, efficiency Kaieteur News – Chairpersons of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and Public Service Appellate Tribunal (PSAT) were sworn in by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, at his Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown office, on Monday. Dr. Nanda Gopaul was sworn in as PUC’s chairman while Justice Beasraj Singh Roy is the new chairman of PSAT. Other members of PSAT who took the oath to office include Hydar Ally and Abiola Wong-Inniss. The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is a corporate body established by the Public Utilities Commission Act No. 26 of 1990. This act was amended on more than one occasion, and the commission currently operates under Act 16 of 2010. The commission in addition to its power to initiate and conduct investigations into the operations and standards of service of all public utilities and telecommunications undertakings (service providers) under its purview, has regulatory, advisory, and enforcement functions under the law. New Chairpersons of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), Dr. Nanda Gopaul At present, the regulated service providers are Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL), Guyana Water Inc (GWI), Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GTT), U-Mobile (Cellular) Inc (Digicel), and E-Networks Inc. In his address to the newly appointed officers, President Ali emphasised the crucial role of the constitutional body, stating that the PUC assumes its role during a significant period of local transformative change. “The work of public utilities is of paramount importance to both consumers and businesses…Electricity, water, and telecommunications form the backbone of daily life and economic activity. The duty of the PUC is to ensure that these services are reliable, affordable, and of the highest quality,” he said. Within this context, the president outlined his vision for Guyana to be a top provider of these essential services, especially during the rise of the global cost of living. “At this point in our historical transformation, we are looking to bring treated water by the end of 2025 to more than 85 per cent of the population, we are looking to reduce the cost of electricity and to make the supply of electricity more efficient, reliable, and stable. We are doing this at a time when across the globe, many countries are faced with difficulties in providing such services due to inflation but with sound economic planning, good governance, and strong policy formation. Here in Guyana, we are able to set these targets that are unimaginable in the world we live in,” he emphasised. Furthermore, the Public Service Appellate Tribunal (PSAT) is empowered to hear appeals from any decision of the Public Service Commission in respect of appointment by promotion of any person to a public office. It will also exercise disciplinary control over any person holding, or acting in any public office. In this regard, President Ali noted that the tribunal serves as a guardian of fairness and due process.  “Public offices look towards the tribunal for the insurance and provision of a fair and balanced review of contested decisions and the commission must continue to work in fulfilling this mandate,’ he said. (DPI) Related Similar Articles

Govt. gazettes order to increase excise tax on vehicles for re-migrants Aug 06, 2024 News Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh Kaieteur News – The Government has published in the Official Gazette an order that outlines the increase in excise tax for re-migrants. The order outlining the amended excise tax regulations was published in the gazette on July 30, 2024, less than 48 hours after Chief Justice, Roxane George-Wiltshire handed down a ruling declaring the 30 percent imposition in excise tax for re-migrants was illegal. The order signed by Senior Minister in the office of the President with the Responsibility for Finance and the Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh outlines the Excise Tax (Amendment) Regulations 2024 shall be deemed to come into operation on September 1, 2023. Under the amended regulation re-migrants, settlers, and returning students are required to pay five percent excise tax on vehicles which has a Cubic Capacity (cc) of less than 1500cc, vehicles those with between 1500cc-1800cc are also required to pay five percent tax, those with 1801-2000cc are required to pay 10 percent tax, those with vehicles that have 2001-3000 cc are required to pay 20 percent and those with above 3000 cc are now required to pay 30 percent on taxes. Last Monday, Chief Justice (Ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire granted an order declaring that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)’s imposition of excise tax at the rate of 30% was illegal. Since July 2023, the GRA raised the taxes payable by re-migrants from 10% to 30% on vehicles with engines larger than 3,000cc. On 8th April, 2024, the Commissioner General of the GRA, Godfrey Statia, wrote Aditya Basdeo that he was given duty free concessions as a re-migrant. However, Mr. Statia required that Basdeo pay 30% excise tax on his new generation 2023 Toyota Landcruiser vehicle. Mr. Basdeo took issue with this and caused his attorney to write the GRA on 15th April 2024 explaining that there was a problem because the correct and proper excise tax rate was 10%. In Basdeo’s case, the 10% was equivalent to over $1,500,000 but the GRA was insisting that he pays nearly $4,600,000 – a difference of $3,100,000 in taxes. When the matter came up for hearing before Chief Justice George Wiltshire, counsel for the GRA, Ms. Nicklin Belgrave, reported that the GRA made a mistake because they realised that the Minister of Finance had merely signed the regulations of July 2023 but the regulations were not duly brought into force by being published in the Official Gazette or being tabled in the National Assembly. In other words, the GRA had been wrongfully and illegally charging 30% taxes to re-migrants and collecting those taxes without any authority.  The Chief Justice granted all of the orders paid for by Mr. Basdeo through his attorney, Mr. Siand Dhurjon. She declared that the GRA’s policy of requiring 30% excise taxes was unlawful and she granted an order of certiorari quashing Mr. Statia’s assessment of 30% excise taxes. The Judge also granted an order of mandamus to compel the GRA to apply the correct excise tax of 10%. The Judge granted an order that Basdeo’s 2023 Landcruiser must be released to him forthwith upon payment of the correct excise taxes. Basdeo’s Landcruiser came into Guyana on 28th June 2024 and has been on the wharf racking up storage costs ever since. The Chief Justice ordered that the GRA was to pay the storage costs as well as the costs of the lawsuit in a specified sum to Mr. Basdeo. When presented with evidence that the GRA was charging some people 10% and others 30% during the same period, the GRA claimed that those paying 10% had applied for their exemption ‘before the regulation was passed’.  The Chief Justice remarked to the agreement of both counsel that the GRA should reach out to everyone who overpaid excise taxes and explain that the GRA made an error and refund the wrongfully collected monies to the taxpayers. In an invited comment Mr. Dhurjon stated that “the Excise Act and its regulations do not permit the GRA to charge beyond 10% in excise taxes. For the last year, the GRA has been overcharging re-migrant taxpayers illegal excise taxes to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars cumulatively. It is unfortunate that in oil-producing Guyana, taxpayers have been wrongfully subjected to this. But this verdict opens the door for all re-migrants who paid above 10% in [within that period] excise taxes to seek a refund.” Under the re-migrant tax scheme, Guyanese who lived abroad for 5 years can be given duty-free concessions allowing them to import their personal effects and their vehicles by only paying the applicable excise taxes. When a re-migrant imports a vehicle and they are given the concession by the GRA, they do not have to pay customs duties and value-added taxes on the vehicle being imported.  This removes many millions of dollars from the purchase of the vehicle. If the full taxes – all of the customs, VAT, and excise taxes – were paid on a Landcruiser like the one concerned in the proceedings, a normal taxpayer would have to pay around $90,000,000 in total taxes depending on the value of the vehicle. Related Similar Articles

Man found dead on North Road Aug 06, 2024 News Kaieteur News – The body of a man was found Sunday on North Road Georgetown, police have confirmed. According to police, the deceased is a male of East Indian descent, estimated to be around 50 years old. Passersby reported seeing the man lying on his back, dressed in a pair of short pants and a red shirt. Police were notified shortly after the discovery. An initial examination revealed no visible signs of violence on the body. The deceased was transported to the Memorial Garden Mortuary, where he awaits a post-mortem examination and identification. Investigations are ongoing. Related Similar Articles

T&T contractor walks away with over $300M Aug 06, 2024 News A photo taken of the Construction and General Supplies road project in July, 2024 …despite not completing Conversation Tree Road project Kaieteur News – A Trinidadian contractor has walked away with over $300 M in advance payment for the Conversation Tree road project which he never completed, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill disclosed last week. Edghill at the time was responding to questions surrounding the project by Alliance for Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) David Patterson. Patterson had requested information in relation to total sums expended on the project, how much the Trinidad contractor, Kalco was advanced for the work that was never done.  Additionally, the Opposition MP sought answers whether liquidated damages were paid and the method which was used to award the project to local contractor S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc. In his response, Edghill revealed that the original contract sum for the project was awarded to Kalco in September 2022 for $830,293,458. The Minister said that the contractor was then paid $465,223,474 which translates as 56% of the contract sum for advance work. Edghill further revealed that no liquidated damages or other penalties were applied, since the government reached an “amicable settlement” with the contractor. The minister claimed too that his ministry took possession of $153, 600, 000, worth of equipment from the company to cover the recovery of the outstanding monies owed on the advance payments. Further in response to Patterson, Minister Edghill revealed that a new contract was awarded to S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc via sole sourcing to the tune $844,027,988. Commenting on the response, Patterson a former Minister of Public Works concluded that the Government allowed the contractor to walk away with at least $311,623,474. This sum is barring the 153,600,000 which Edghill claimed that the Ministry claimed was recovered when they seized the contractor’s vehicles and equipment.  Patterson pointed out to the Minister provided no proof of the seized equipment. Added to this, Patterson noted there was no evidence that Kalco did any work at all since the contract was given to another contractor for a contract sum that $13million more than the original contract. Kaieteur News had reported that the Guyana Government was forced to end the contract it signed with a Trinidad and Tobago firm for the western section of the Conversation Tree Road project following months of delays and other setbacks. The contract was handed to local contractor, S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies. The Department of Public Information had reported that the Ministry of Public Works reached an amicable agreement with the TT firm –Kalco, which would see it paying for works completed up to this point and the company settling all outstanding financial matters surrounding the project. This includes returning the outstanding balance for work to be done on the project. The company also stood the cost of other liabilities after the project surpassed the contractual time frame and suffered prolonged delays. Back then, Edghill had noted that the action comes as a response to the project also causing significant inconvenience to residents and impeding crucial infrastructural development. “We have a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the Conversation Tree project. I want to officially announce that Kalco has been demobilised from the site. They have settled all of their obligations as it relates to their contract with the Government of Guyana,” the minister told the Department of Public Information (DPI) during an inspection of the ongoing works. The minister said S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies had successfully executed the Eastern section of the project, demonstrating reliability and efficiency in their work. Emphasising the urgency of expediting the project to alleviate the inconvenience faced by citizens, Minister Edghill assured that efforts are underway to swiftly execute the remaining works well before Christmas. “We want this to be able to be done quickly. It is going to finish long before Christmas in case you’re thinking if this is going over to next year, not at all. I will hope that we are able to get this done by the end of August. We are pushing, the contractor knows that he has to work day and night and we are getting that done,” the minister asserted. Acknowledging the patience and understanding of residents impacted by the delays, Minister Edghill extended heartfelt gratitude to the community for their cooperation.  Additionally, while the local contractor is tasked with completing the project, the ministry has engaged nine small contractors to rehabilitate the boulevard along Conversation Tree. Works include the construction of a walkway, installation of lighting, and landscaping to improve safety, accessibility, and aesthetics along the thoroughfare. This will foster a conducive environment for residents and commuters. Minister Edghill outlined plans to extend the road network, linking Conversation Tree Road to Dennis Street and eventually to Vlissengen Road. This strategic expansion aims to enhance connectivity, alleviate traffic congestion, and facilitate easier navigation. Related Similar Articles