GGMC breaching law by renting residential property for business – TIGI

…requests justification from Board
…Board Chairman denies receiving request

The Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI) is accusing the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) of breaching the laws of Guyana by conducting Government business in a residential building.
TIGI on Friday said it has written to the Board of Directors of the GGMC, querying the legality of the Government office operating in a residential area, as well as how

it is addressing the conflict of interest surrounding the rental of the office space from one of its sitting directors.
The GGMC is currently occupying a three-storey building belonging to Director Hilbert Shields at Fourth Street, Subryanville – a residential area.
The transparency watchdog said it dispatched a letter on November 6, 2017 to the Directors of the GGMC, but to date has not gotten a response in relation to the questions asked. The letter was sent after the body received a complaint from the residents of Subryanville.
However, when asked about the GGMC’s failure to respond, Board Chairman Stanley Ming denied seeing any correspondence from TIGI, and noted that the

matter was settled when he issued a statement to the local press.
The conflict of interest issue first came to the fore on January 1, 2018 and has since crept into the media, then the GGMC has indicated that at the time of renting the property, Shields was not on the Board of Directors, nor was he even being considered at that time.

No conflict
During a telephone interview on Friday, Ming remained adamant that there is no conflict of interest with GGMC occupying a building belonging to one of its directors. He was quick to point out that Shields was appointed to the Board as a representative for the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association.
TIGI, in its statement on Friday, said that since the controversy came into the public domain Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has instructed the GGMC to find alternative accommodation, but, to date, the Commission is yet to act on that.
TIGI said the GGMC is a concern for residents, and noted that in its request for information, it was indicated that permission was granted for the premises to be used for one business, and was limited to only Shields’ company. The body also indicated that the arrangement for rental of office space in a residential area breaches the laws governing the area, and “is definitely in contradiction with the notion of people empowerment that is inherent in activation of Local Government and hence also a contradiction of current Government policy.”
“GGMC, in its capacity as a governmental agency tasked with overseeing mineral fairness in vast swathes of our country, should ensure that the laws of Guyana are upheld at all times. Given that permission to use the premises for business is limited, GGMC’s use of the premises would therefore be in breach of the laws of Guyana. TIGI wishes to know what justification the GGMC has for using the premises at Subryanville for Government business,” TIGI stated. The transparency body noted that the by-laws and ordinances of residential areas are increasingly being violated with the establishment of commercial ventures within them, and questioned the precedent being set by a Government agency.