Months after IMC takes charge
…Director is GECOM official; reported to be on IMC
More trouble is brewing at the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union (GPSCCU), which had an Interim Management Committee installed to administer its affairs. Sources have disclosed to Guyana Times that the change has not brought more accountability to the Union.
According to sources, a construction project is currently ongoing at the Credit Union. The contractor working on the project in question is Caribbean Construction, Consultancy and International Supplies.
Checks by Guyana Times on the company records show that the firm, which was incorporated in 2015, has on its Board of Directors a senior administrative official of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
That official, sources indicate, is also a member of the as yet unnamed Interim Management Committee of the Credit Union. This publication was unable to ascertain whether the contract for works to be done on the union building was ever put through a competitive bidding process.
Displeasure
Members of the Union have communicated their displeasure at recent moves to appoint a Human Resource Consultant for a fee reported to be thousands of US dollars. According to one member of the Union, this is exorbitant and unnecessary, considering the Union has less than 30 staff.
Earlier this year, Government installed a Chief Cooperative Development Officer, and Commissioner Perlina Gifth was barred from assuming control of the Union until July 3, 2018 when the substantive case was expected to be heard at the High Court.
In late May, then Chairman of the GPSCCUL, Patricia Went vented her frustrations when it was revealed that Government installed the interim committee. “The Committee of Management objects to the actions of the purported Chief Cooperatives Development Officer since there was no investigation into the affairs of the Credit Union to support the published conclusion and accusation of unsatisfactory performance,” she had said.
She had explained that the matter was rooted in the demand by the Department of Cooperatives for an undue payment to the Audit and Supervision Fund for years 2002-2013 of an alleged balance of $49,691,682.00.
She however had argued that the Department of Cooperatives’ claim to outstanding payments towards the Audit and Supervision Fund could not be justified since the already audited Accounts of the Credit Union for the years 2002 to 2010 reflected no such balance, as was claimed.
Chief Cooperatives Development Officer, Perlina Gifth, according to her, also failed to acknowledge the waivers, which were approved and granted by the previous Labour Minister, which to date is still in effect. The former Chairman said she considers the Social Protection Ministry’s action as a threat to “grab the funds of the Credit Union.”
At one point, the doors on the Credit Union’s building were locked as several documents were retained for assessment. High Court Judge, Gino Persaud had also granted an injunction halting the work of an interim management committee while auditors did their assessment of the GPSCCUL’S finances.
