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Revelations that former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from the Demerara Harbour Bridge Company (DHBC) might only be the tip of the iceberg.
Documents released by his successor, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, show that other agencies that fell under Patterson’s remit also vied to provide the former Minister with millions of dollars in gifts, using taxpayers’ money.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Edghill showed the media an extensive paper trail of Ministry vouchers and receipts from jewellery stores, showing that over $2.6 million worth of gifts and personal items were purchased for Patterson. And one thing these gifts have in common is that they were purchased at various times as gifts for Patterson’s birthday.
For instance, $704,292 worth of gifts were purchased for Patterson by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) in May of 2020 – in the middle of the contentious period that followed the March 2 General and Regional Elections. In another case, Edghill showed documents and receipts indicating that on May 4, 2020, a further $387,000 was spent.
“Everyone will recall we had an election in March 2020, May of 2020 is when we’re in the middle of court cases and getting ready for a recount. Mr. Patterson had his birthday, and gifts were bought for Mr. Patterson,” Edghill said.
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“These are the kind of gifts Mr Patterson accepted, that he said followed the rules and he thought everything was okay. At no time did he say to the agency heads, why are you bringing me these expensive gifts? Where is the moral compass, that you will sit and preside and accept gifts of $704,000?
“In May 2018, a further $600,000 was spent by the Maritime Administration for gifts for Patterson on his birthday. This includes a sum of $300,000 was spent by MARAD for the purchase of gift items for the former Minister on May 3, 2018. The next day, $384,700 was also spent on gifts for the Minister.
At some point in time, it seemed as though the agency had given up on purchasing jewellery gifts for the former Minister and purchased a $516,000 gift certificate from King’s Jewelry World. Edghill’s documents included a receipt from King’s Jewellery to that effect.
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Juan Edghill