$100M allocated for bulletproof vehicles purchased on credit

– Govt roasted for alleged breach of Accountability Act

For Ministry of Presidency

Over $100 million dollars of taxpayers’ money have been allocated in the 2018 Budget to cover an alleged corrupt act, which saw the Government of Guyana, via the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP), purchasing more bulletproof vehicles — worth millions of dollars — on credit from a local business entity in 2016.
The purchased vehicles have reportedly been delivered although arrangements to pay for them have not been made in the 2017 budgetary allocation, as is provided for in the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. The Ministry of the Presidency allegedly has even already put some of these vehicles into use.
According to the Parliamentary Opposition, the Government allegedly purchased five new bullet proof vehicles despite there being no budgetary allocation made therefor in 2017. Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Bishop Juan Edghill told a media conference on Thursday that this move is in clear breach of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act.
Edghill, who was earlier this week suspended from the National Assembly, has claimed that Government is not allowed to make purchases on credit. He noted that this breach amounts to corruption and poor transparency.
“The Government compromised itself with a supplier by taking an advance in vehicles and trying to find monies in 2018 to pay for that (transaction),” he opined.
Saying he would have liked to ask the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, several questions about the transactions, Edghill declared that the Permanent Secretary would have had several questions to answer as well.
The vehicles were reportedly purchased by the MoTP.