Questionable escalation at local IDB office

Dear Editor,
It is quite evident that the level of apparent corruption, misuse and mismanagement of resources, lack of transparency and abuse of authority has escalated at the IDB local office. These alarming developments have escalated over the last 12 months.
It seems that the IDB board, the IDB Regional head and all in authority at the Caribbean and Washington offices are either turning a blind eye or condoning these issues and the declining state of affairs at the IDB local office. Donors and contributing financers of the IDB should take note of this development. This may be symptomatic of what may very well be happening at the higher IDB levels and may indeed be an early indication of a more chronic scheme of misuse and corruption within IDB.
Added to that is also the discrimination and lack of respect for Guyana’s Indigenous People by withholding resources and benefits to these people through a funded project. These issues have been highlighted many times in the media and the fact that the IDB choose to go silent on each of the issues have basically confirmed an apparent high incident and issues of corruption, mismanagement, lack of transparency and abuse of authority under head of IDB.
More recently another section of the media published another letter accusing the IDB of corruption on an IDB/EU/GPL project. Below are just a few of the long list of questionable and suspicious transaction and issues that have been highlighted as glaring issues of corruption, lack of transparency, and mismanagement and misuse of resources.
A large number of staff has been employed at the Office of Climate Change and Project Management Office that are being paid by the IDB using the Norwegian GRIF funds and for which no transparent procurement process has been employed or carried out. Numerous calls have been made to the IDB to publish the names and position of staff employed post-May 2015 at OCC and PMO that are being paid using the GRIF funds managed by IDB.
Only recently former President Jagdeo expressed the same concerns that staff are being employed and paid from the Norway funds and there seems to be no transparency in the process.
To date the IDB has remained silent on the issue.
IDB has single-sourced a number of forensic auditors for the Government forensic audit. It is estimated that over G million of contracts was funded by the IDB and no transparent procurement process was carried out to hire these auditors; they were simply handpicked.
Civil society personnel have expressed dissatisfaction at the slow pace of implementation of a project titled Forest Carbon Facility Programme. These apparent delays are engineered by IDB to frustrate and deny Amerindian people benefits and financial resources committed to them under this project.
There are reports that IDB is apparently delaying the implementation of a project referred to as Opt In Mechanism which is geared towards developing a benefit-sharing mechanism for Amerindian communities. Again Amerindians are very disappointed and concerned of the IDB slothfulness in bringing benefits to their communities.
Recently another section of the media reported that accusations have been made of the IDB condoning seeming lack of transparency on an IDB/EU/GPL funded project.
These levels of corruption that currently exist at the IDB local office is a worrying development for a financial institution like IDB. And to top it off the IDB head office or those in authority seem to be condoning these acts of corruption and mismanagement, lack of transparency, etc.
These are only a few that have come to the public attention.
It is highly likely that almost all the projects being executed under the IDB management has some element of corruption.
I am again calling for a full investigation into the IDB operations in Guyana. Guyanese are getting tired and frustrated of these impositions of IDB and calls are being repeated for a total reorganisation of the IDB as Guyana needs their support but not with the current management at the local office.

Sincerely,
Carl Lucas