Prolonged ‘cuss out’ of ExxonMobil unwarranted – Greenidge

Days after Government denied utilising ‘special funds’ from ExxonMobil to fund its legal fees in its international battle to end its border controversy with Venezuela, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge has termed the prolonged ‘cuss out’ of the oil company as unwarranted.

The Minister’s admonition was made in his address to New Amsterdam community Leaders over the weekend.
According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Minister highlighted that it was Government’s responsibility to ensure that the money obtained from companies, including oil companies, was spent to develop its people.
“It is our job to ensure that our Inland Revenue Department is competently manned so as to analyse their books and impose the taxes they are supposed to pay. You can’t start up by beating up the company when, in fact, the company hasn’t been due to pay taxes and refused to pay taxes,” the DPI quoted Minister Greenidge as saying.
Accusations of Exxon providing the Guyana Government with funds for its case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have surfaced in light of the oil giant’s reported release of some US$20 million in a bonus.
Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, however, maintained that while it would be wrong for Guyana to use the oil company for that purpose, it would be appropriate for Guyana to use its earnings to defend its sovereignty. He pointed that he was not aware that Guyana was using the oil giant in that regard.
Sections of the local press have long highlighted and criticised ExxonMobil for how it has conducted business in other countries, but, according to the DPI, Minister Greenidge said “what that should do is to put you on caution, on alert not to cause you to cuss them up.”
He also cautioned the New Amsterdam residents not to “believe these jokers who will have you cuss out a company that has found oil and develop that oil”.
It was after months of repeated calls and relentless bombardment from the Opposition, that Government finally conceded to releasing the oil contract with Exxon. This was announced by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who, while not mentioning a specific date when the document would be made available for public scrutiny, noted that this decision was made after Cabinet’s “fulsome discussion” on the matter and after taking into consideration the many public calls.
Both Government and ExxonMobil had noted various concerns for keeping the document confidential. One of the reasons Government had given for the non-disclosure of the contract was the ongoing border controversy with neighbouring Venezuela which is now going to the ICJ. After Government’s announcement, ExxonMobil Guyana’s Public and Government Affairs Senior Director, Kimberly Brasington told Guyana Times: “ExxonMobil supports transparency initiatives, wherever we operate around the world. We look forward to discussions with our partners and the Government with regard to Guyana.”
Currently, the company is developing the Liza Field located in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana for oil production in 2020. The Stabroek block is now estimated to contain between 2.25 and 2.75 billion oil-equivalent barrels. Other oil companies have expressed interest in oil exploration offshore Guyana since Exxon’s de-risking of the Guyana offshore basin.
ExxonMobil, in partnership with CNOOC Nexen and Hess Corporation, put Guyana on ‘the map’ with its discovery of oil in 2015.