Stabroek News on Monday reported President Irfaan Ali saying he does not think Guyana’s image has “taken a beating” given bribery allegations between government officials and Chinese businesses based on information provided by Mr. Su Zhirong, who the president referred to as a “carpetbagger.”
Last June the US-based VICE News ran two explosive stories that presented information on money laundering practices by Chinese officials in secure lucrative state contracts. The only government officials named in the alleged scheme is Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo
In the Vice News’ stories, the VP was caught on tape interacting with a Chinese undercover ‘businessman’ (a VICE personnel) at his home talking about business opportunities in Guyana. The ‘businessman’ was taken to the VP’s residence by Su.
In the said report, the VP was heard on tape in conversation with Su and the VICE News team (posing as potential Chinese investors). He could be heard saying “No, no, no I’m not getting involved in business. Su is my friend. He gets all the support. Su deals with all the agreements. I don’t. The thing is that my thing is that I’m in government, so I assist from government side.”
Su was also heard telling VICE News personnel, who were acting as potential investors, that “the money [they] pay him under the guise of legitimate business will actually make it to the vice president.” The VP has denied allegations of corruption and last July filed a $50 million plus lawsuit against the businessman whose whereabouts, post the VICE News’ revelations, remains a mystery.
Su Zhirong is one of Guyana’s biggest landholders, holding more than 40,000 acres of land in mining permits. He also has businesses in oil, quarry, and prime land that can build a casino and hotel. In the VICE’s report viewers could see Su was only too eager to participate, volunteer information, and make known his political connection.
The Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), responding to the President’s statement at their press conference on Tuesday, said “Whatever the case, the President needs to man-up and instruct Bharrat Jagdeo to demit office with immediate effect.”
The Opposition and civil society have been calling for the VP resignation. They have also said if he fails to voluntarily resign the president should ask for his resignation. The VP demitting office is seen as critical to having a credible international investigation into bribery allegations made against him by Zhirong, his former tenant and friend.
Below is the Opposition’s full text, presented by shadow Minister of Finance, Ms. Amanza Walton Desir :-
The good people of Guyana would have read with ire, in yesterday’s Stabroek News, recent comments by President Irfaan Ali on Su-gate. President Ali seemed mostly to be trying to convince himself that the allegations of bribery and abuse of office surrounding Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo did not damage the international reputation of our country.
The entire episode, the President is reported as postulating, was a failed plot by western countries to discredit the leader of a Third World nation and to tarnish the image of developing countries that are populated with “brown faces”. Were the matter not so serious, one would have been tempted to laugh at the President’s utterances.
If indeed the international reputation of the country suffered no harm, as President Ali believes, then it could only mean that the rampant high-level corruption in the PPP government is already widely known and has already wreaked havoc on the country’s image. It could only mean that Su-gate was therefore merely another drop in the ocean of PPP corruption. That the President himself is defending VP Jagdeo it is clear that he is complicit in corruption.
Whatever the case, the President needs to man-up and instruct Bharrat Jagdeo to demit office with immediate effect.
The bribery allegations against the VP are not only a matter of international image; they have direct and deep implications for the public’s trust in the PPP government. Who can sensibly deny that the Su-gate bribery scandal has further entrenched the public perception that every deal involving the VP or a PPP minister requires investors to pay so-called consultation or processing fees – that is corruption!
We repeat our call for a credible international investigation into the allegations of bribery and corruption leveled against Vice President Jagdeo.
VICE News- “Undercover In Guyana: Exposing Chinese Business in South America”
