The Agriculture Ministry has debunked claims made by known Opposition-aligned activist Mark Benschop regarding the purchase or sale of chicken or eggs at its office.
In a Facebook post, Mark Benschop alleged that fraud is taking place at Agriculture Ministry with regards to the sale of “$150M worth of chicken and eggs”.
According to Benschop, the discovery was made during a recent audit report and fingers are allegedly being pointed to the Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, Director General Madanlall Ramraj and others connected to the minister’s office.
However, on Wednesday, the ministry issued a statement, refuting these claims, noting that ministry and its head office are not involved in the purchase or sale of chicken or eggs.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and Guyana Marketing Corporation General Manager Teshawna Lall
The ministry outlined that responsibility for these matters falls under the jurisdiction of the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), which is managed by General Manager, Teshawna Lall.
Nonetheless, the ministry said in recent weeks, Mustapha had ordered an audit and investigation into certain irregularities and discrepancies within the agency.
According to the statement, it is important to note that this is a transparent process to ensure accountability and rectify any administrative lapses.
The ministry went on to say it believes that the timing of the misleading post is unfortunate, as it seems intended to distract from the ongoing investigation at the GMC.
In this regard, the ministry urged members of the public not to be swayed by baseless accusations and to await the outcome of the official investigations, which it assured is being conducted with the highest level of integrity.
When contacted by this newspaper for more information on the investigation, the call with the GMC General Manager was disconnected. Efforts to contact her again proved futile.
