Norton unable to respond to questions on mismanagement of tax dollars – throws former PNCR

Theaudit report into the operations of the Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) under the APNU+AFC government exposed damning findings of mismanagement and possible illegal use of taxpayers’ money.

The SLED programme is designed to give grants to cooperatives and friendly societies to equip them to engage in sustainable, entrepreneurial ventures. Specifically, it was also used uplift disadvantaged youths.

However, the audit found, among other things,

GS under the bus

that three APNU+AFC Coalition Members of Parliament (MPs), Christopher Jones, Jermaine Figueira, and Vincent Henry, benefited from millions. The latter had charge of some $165M that was to be distributed to so called Co-op societies, but the audit found that this was not so.

The audit report noted that several allocations that were done for the period 2018 to 2020 amounted to approximately $371M.

Leader of the PNCR and the APNU+AFC Coalition, threw the former PNCR Gen- eral Secretary, Amna Ally, under the bus, when asked about the lack of transparency and accountability.

When pressed on the matter, during a news conference on Thursday (May 4, 2023) morning, said, “I can direct you to engage Minister Amna Ally who had responsibility at the time (reference to SLED monies and Congress Place involvement)…(on mismanagement of SLED under APNU) I don’t know what you are taking about. I have already said to you that you should direct the question to the former Minister. I do not want to get involved in speculation. I have not even seen the report… I don’t know about mismanagement of the fund…I am not in a position to comment on the mismanagement of the SLED programme.”

Norton was pressed further on the fact that APNU+AFC MPs benefited from a programme that was intended to support disadvantaged persons. He said, “Any Guyanese has a right to benefit from financial assistance….once no rules were broken that said as

MPs they could not, I see no problem…the SLED programme, as I understand it, was to help people get into business, etc.

“…in my party one of the things we ensure is accountability. I have, throughout my life, made sure that I avoid corruption so that I can always ensure accountability. I don’t know what you’re talking about holding our members accountable for. I did say to you that in the case of SLED, these members have a right as Guyanese citizens to access loans, grants, whatever. If you are suggesting that by virtue of being MPs, that they don’t have a right then that is another issue.”

Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton, has since said, “I plan to consult the AG on some of the identified issues of illegal use of Government funds by some named individuals….I want the people of Guyana to know where these funds went. These are monies that were intended to develop various communities and projects but based on the report you will see how millions of dollars were mismanaged.”