Special projects manager, accountant under investigation in GMC probe

…audit called by GM not Agri Ministry

A special projects manager and an accountant at the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) are being investigated as a probe continues to clarify certain irregularities and discrepancies within the agency.
The GMC clarified that the investigation was ordered and is being led by General Manager Teshawna Lall, contrary to the Agriculture Ministry’s statement that subject Minister Zulfikar Mustapha initiated the probe.
This clarity was provided by GMC following a social media post on Wednesday via Facebook, regarding the purchase or sale of chicken or eggs at its office.
It was alleged that fraud is taking place at the Agriculture Ministry with regard to the sale of “$150 million worth of chicken and eggs” and fingers were allegedly being pointed to Agriculture Minister Mustapha, the Director General and others connected to the Minister’s office.

Subsequently, the Agriculture Ministry debunked the claims saying that these matters fall under the jurisdiction of the GMC.
Nonetheless, the Ministry indicated that the investigation was 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 was unfortunate, as it seemed intended to distract from the ongoing investigation at the agency.
However, the GMC has since disclosed that the probe was under the guidance of its General Manager and not the Ministry.
Providing some insight into what sparked the probe, the agency revealed that the audit began after the General Manager made several requests for documentation and reports containing information needed to verify financial irregularities and resolve the occurrence of issues relating to the sale of food commodities.
It was explained that after the documentation and reports provided yielded no results, the General Manager decided to address the concerns independently.
According to the statement, the internal audit will meticulously review the reported irregularities and evaluate the corporation’s financial practices as the GMC remains dedicated to transparency and accountability and is committed to resolving these issues promptly. Further, the agency has committed to updating the public on the findings of the investigation when details are available.