Finance Secretary sacked

– ordered to return gov’t properties immediately

Without citing any reason, the Irfaan Ali Administration has moved to terminate the services of the country’s Finance Secretary, Michael Basil Joseph.

On Friday, November 13, 2020, Joseph was handed his termination letter signed by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall. The Attorney General, in the letter, said he was acting in accordance with the instructions of President Irfaan Ali.

“I regret to inform you that your contract for service as Finance Secretary, Ministry of Finance, dated the 1^st day of November 2018 to the 31^st day of October 2021, inclusive, is hereby terminated with effect from the 14^th day of December 2020, pursuant to Clause seven (7) of the schedule of the said contract,” a section of the letter reads.

Joseph was instructed to proceed on administrative leave with immediate effect until the contract comes to an end on December14.

“You are also requested to return any property and records of the Government of Guyana, which may still be in your custody,” another section read.

Prior to his appointment as the country’s Finance Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Joseph was a Business and Finance Consultant at Pitoraima Inc Consultancy Services (2008-2018), Lead Consultant (2000-2018), Director at Windward Islands (WINERA) Packaging Company Limited (2012-2016), General Manager at Saint Lucia Banana Corporation (2002-2008) and Budget Director at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Saint Lucia (1993-1999).

He holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Public Administration from the University of the West Indies (UWI.), and a Master’s degree in Finance from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. He also received specialised training in Public Finance from the Institute of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Public Sector Investment Programming from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in conjunction with the Economic Development Institute (EDI) of the World Bank.

According to Guyana’s Finance Ministry’s website, Joseph’s tripartite private sector, public sector and project management conditioning, within a Caribbean space, made him a proper fit for the challenges of the Office of Finance Secretary.