Dear Editor,
Reference is made to allegations of corruption at Guy Oil. Was the GM Trevor Basso involved in wrong-doing or is he just the fall guy? Did he resigned because he and the Chair, Mr. Paul Cheong, and a couple other Directors and a finance official apparently were not getting along? They had several run ins.
The former GM Basso was apparently coerced into approving transactions that he opposed or felt was not in keeping with sound business practices. He was instructed to approve decisions not discussed or approved by the board. Staff were hired and fired without board approval. Unfortunately, those linked to improprieties made it appear in the media that Mr. Basso was involved in ‘deals’ when the poor chap was an innocent bystander. These facts were presented to the Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh. Regrettably, Dr. Singh did not give a report of his meeting with the Board except to say that an audit will be conducted (SN Apr 21). The Minister should have provided a summary of the proceedings.
Guy Oil is not a private company that can be managed in secrecy and hide its transactions and any shenanigans. It is a public government owned entity. It must report to its shareholders – the public or taxpayers. Its operations can’t be secretive. The public must be made aware of its varied transactions (purchases, sales, hiring and firings) and its business activities must be available for public scrutiny.
There are clearly guilty parties in this scandal and they must be held accountable. Is Mr. Basso going to be the fall guy? The Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh said there would be an audit. When? He did not give a timeframe for the audit. Will there be a cover up? An audit is needed urgently to be completed within days on what really happened in the company. Who made the deals with ARI?
Yours truly,
Thomas Whitehead
