The Opposition, A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), is demanding an investigation into allegation of corruption by Housing ministry staff in the allocation of house lots. This publication on November 23, reported Melly Mel, a social media activist, blowing the whistle on what appears to be a widespread scandal involving government officials and housing allocations. Subsequent to this report Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing put out a press release indicating that an investigation will be conducted on the allegations made against staffers.
The Opposition, in a statement issued Friday, alluded to a letter penned in October by Shadow Minister of Housing and Water, Annette Ferguson, highlighting the alleged corrupt practices by staffers at the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) and her called for a forensic audit to be conducted into the activities and operations at the Ministry.
The APNU+AFC noted that allegation of bribery was brought against Ms. Sharon Hicks, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. She was charged and the matter was determined by the court. The coalition made known it would like to see similar stern actions taken against these staffers, for fleecing ordinary Guyanese, and reiterated the call made by Ferguson for a forensic audit of the CHPA.
The APNU+AFC’s full statement follows:-
CALLING FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS AGAINST STAFFERS AT THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING
APNU+AFC has seen the comments via social media by persons claiming to have paid monies to staffers at the Ministry of Housing, Central Housing and Planning Authority for the processing of their applications for house lots. This situation is quite an unfortunate one, which warrants an immediate investigation into these allegations, which have brought the Ministry into disrepute.
On October 11, 2023, our Shadow Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Annette Ferguson, MP, penned a letter to the editor, highlighting the alleged corrupt practices by staffers at the Central Housing and Planning Authority, similarly, calling for a forensic audit to be conducted on the activities and operations at the Ministry. Today, the revelations are here with us. Here under are the issues identified in the letter of October 11, 2023:
- There are allegations of corruption, where staff members are involved in deals to help young professionals and others jump the cue, so well-connected applicants are in receipt of allocations.
- Allegedly, staff members of Central Housing & Planning Authority own properties in the new schemes and are renting to applicants.
- Middlemen are facilitating the purchase of lots allocated by Central Housing & Planning Authority at exploitative prices.
- Houses built, on lots allocated by Central Housing & Planning Authority in the new schemes, are being rented at exorbitant prices by the owners who have other properties elsewhere. This is in breach. because only persons who do not already own property are entitled to house lots from Central Housing & Planning Authority.
- Houses sold are extremely defective and have caused owners to incur unnecessary expense to fix them.
- Infrastructure not in place so those who can afford to build cannot do so.
Information shared on the Social Media platform has identified by way of images those persons to whom the allegations have been leveled against, which has further suggested that these persons are working in the secretariat of Ministers at the Ministry.
The Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Housing has since put out a press release indicating that an investigation will be conducted on the allegations made against staffers.
APNU+AFC expresses its dissatisfaction of the press statement by the Ministry, which in our view has not given must hope, how the Ministry intends to handle these glaring revelations. Several months ago, there was an allegation of bribery brought against Ms. Sharon Hicks, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. She was charged and the matter was determined by the court. Therefore, the APNU+AFC would like to see stern actions taken against these staffers, for fleecing ordinary Guyanese.
We reiterate the call by our Shadow Minister of Housing and Water for a forensic audit to be done on the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
