October 18, 2016

Archives for May 10, 2016

Fire guts Gafoors Houston Shopping Complex

…billions in estimated losses, 500 employees on breadline

By Romario Samaroo

The popular Gafoors Shopping Complex located at Houston, East Bank Demerara went up in flames on Monday as workers were about to leave for the day.
Reports are that the fire started about 15:00h in Bond Number Three, which contained fishing equipment.

The Gafoors Shopping Complex

The Gafoors Shopping Complex

Despite attempts by firefighters from the Guyana Fire Service to contain the blaze, the fire quickly engulfed the building as the glass shutters shattered.
Employees broke down in tears as firefighters’ efforts were overpowered by the flames. The Complex, which included 15 bonds, sold a wide variety of household building materials and locally manufactured products, was completely destroyed as firefighters with the aid of six fire trucks were unable to control the massive fire as it ripped through the entire building.
An employee in tears told this newspaper that she heard a colleague shouting “Fire! Fire!” and everyone in the complex, including shoppers, began to evacuate the premises.
Another employee noted that the Fire Service was contacted and they arrived about 20 minutes later and took another 10 minutes to set up equipment and source water. Hours after the fire started, firefighters were still struggling to contain the blaze.

Mr and Mrs Gafoors watching their business goes up in flames

Mr and Mrs Gafoors watching their business goes up in flames

Meanwhile, speaking with this newspaper, Sattaur Gafoor, the owner of the Gafoors Shopping Complex, indicated that his losses were

Employees removing gas cylinders

Employees removing gas cylinders

estimated to be in the vicinity of billions. He added that the Complex was insured and it has been providing employment for over 500

Firefighters trying desperately to extinguish the blaze

Firefighters trying desperately to extinguish the blaze

individuals. Gafoor noted that it would be a long time before the Complex could be fully functional again as he needed to assess the damage and figure out a way forward.
Workers at the scene highlighted that there were a number of flammable materials and chemicals that attributed to the fast development of the fire.
Up to press time, there was no looting reported, but every effort was made by passersby to help salvage what remained of the popular shopping complex.

Ex-Policeman shot dead while escaping from custody

An ex-Police Officer, who was accused of robbery on Monday morning made attempts to escape from custody, but was shot by former colleagues while driving away.
After he was shot, he continued to drive and crashed his motor car into a trench at Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD).
Dead is Ryan Vaux, 36, of Norton Street, Lodge. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
According to information received, at 01:10h, ranks of a mobile Police patrol along Broad Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara recognised a man running behind a motor vehicle with registration number PSS 6835. He was reportedly shouting that he had been

The mangled car in the trench after the accident surrounded by Police

The mangled car in the trench after the accident surrounded by Police

robbed of a sum of money by persons in the vehicle.
The Police subsequently intercepted the motor vehicle with one man at the steering wheel and a male passenger. A search was conducted on the men and $21,000 in cash was found.
The male passenger and the robbery victim, Deryck Persaud, 46, of Cummings Lodge, ECD, were placed in the Police vehicle and the motor vehicle driven by Vaux was escorted to the Sparendaam Police Station.
While on their way there, Persaud informed the Police that he had been robbed by the two men who were armed with a handgun and a knife.
Upon arrival at the Police Station, the ranks approached Vaux, but he brandished a firearm and drove off in the vehicle in an attempt to escape during which the Police discharged a round hitting him to the body.
Still bent on escaping, Vaux continued driving for a short while before crashing in the vicinity of Vryheid’s Lust Access Road, ECD. Police have since retrieved a pellet gun from the mangled car. The other suspect is in Police custody assisting with the investigations.
When Guyana Times visited the dead man’s home at Lot 80 Norton Street, Georgetown, his relatives were reluctant to offer a comment. One group of young ladies explained that they were not related to the ex-Police rank and directed media operatives to another house.
While this publication was there, a woman was on her mobile phone relating the incident to the person on the other end of the line, but she refused to give a comment.
She, too, directed media operatives to another house claiming that the dead man’s wife would be there, but it turned out not to be so.
Meanwhile, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times that the matter was being investigated by members of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

Former VP of CGX in Panama Papers scandal

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on Monday released a database containing

Edris K Dookie

Edris K Dookie

information on almost 320,000 offshore entities that are part of the Panama Papers scandal and the offshore leaks investigations.
“The data covers nearly 40 years – from 1977 through 2015 – and links to people and companies in more than 200 countries and territories.”
A quick search of the database using Guyana in the country category has so far produced three names: Edris K Dookie, Yucatan Coutinho Reis and Chetwynd RF Bowling.
Dookie, according to the database, is a shareholder in Oyster Oil and Gas Limited, an active company located in the British Virgin Islands that was incorporated in 2010. The database shows that his local address in Guyana is Lot A16-17 Shamrock Gardens, Ogle, East Coast Demerara. Located at this address is Mid Atlantic Oil & Gas Inc, a company of which Dookie is the co-founder.
Dookie is no stranger to Guyana since he is also the co-founder and President of ON Energy and Executive Vice President of CGX Resources Inc, a Canadian oil company that was granted three exploration licences by the Government of Guyana.
Dookie was allegedly unceremoniously booted by the Board of the company in light of the poor performance by CGX in 2013 in finding hydrocarbon deposits on the shores of Guyana. Several wells were drilled which came up empty, thus drying up the company’s cash flow and putting it in a desperate position of needing to raise additional funds to stay afloat. Under new management, however, and in partnership with ExxonMobil, CGX was able to acquire the funding necessary to continue and has since found significant hydrocarbon deposits off Guyana’s shores.
Yucatan Reis, another person named in the Panama Papers database who is linked to Guyana, is a Brazilian that is a beneficiary of Equatorial Project Management and Engineering Enterprises Ltd, according to the database. Further checks of the database showed that the company was incorporated in 2013 and became inactive in 2015, with it being labelled “Bad debt account”. The address of the company is in Switzerland with offshore connections in the British Virgin Islands. The database also shows that Reis has a local address – Lot 40 Bel Air, Georgetown, Guyana.
Reis is the co-owner of Muri Brazil Ventures Inc and also the owner of Excel Minerals, a gold mining/ money transfer/ financing company located at Sixth and Light Streets, Alberttown.
Muri Brazil Ventures Inc, in 2013, was granted by the then Government of Guyana a permit for mineral surveying in the “ecologically fragile” New River Triangle. A controversy had erupted over the granting of this permit, since it was unearthed that the then Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud, with the Permission for Geological and Geographical Survey (PGGS), granted the company the right to occupy 2.2 million acres of land to conduct geological and geophysical surveys for rare earth elements, bauxite, limestone, nephelene, syenite, gold, diamonds and granite stones in South East Berbice for a period of 36 months.
Further exacerbating the controversy was a clause of the PGGS which provided that anytime during the duration of the permission, Muri Brasil Ventures Inc shall have the right to apply to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for, and shall be granted on a priority basis a maximum of 18 prospecting licences once it satisfies attendant requirements.
After the heavy media backlash over the issue that put Persaud in the hot seat for allegedly lying to the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament over the conditionalities of the permit given to Muri, the company pulled out and scraped its local investment venture, citing that even though the process was legal and transparent, “misinformation, prejudice and hostility” towards the company were the impetus for backing out.
The third person named in the database, Chetwynd RF Bowling’s local address is Lot 20 Main and St John Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice, Guyana. The database shows that Bowling is a shareholder and Director of Alinga Consulting Group LTD, an active company that was incorporated in 2008. It is located in New York and has possible offshore ties with the British Virgin Islands.
Two companies were also listed in the database: the Guyana Trading Company Limited and the Guyana Company Limited respectively.
According to the ICIJ, it is publishing the information in the interest of the public. The ICIJ on its website highlighted that “while many of the activities carried out through offshore entities are perfectly legal, extensive reporting by ICIJ and its media partners for more than four years has shown that the anonymity granted by the offshore economy facilitates money laundering, tax evasion, fraud and other crimes. Even when it’s legal, transparency advocates argue that the use of an alternative, parallel economy undermines democracy because it benefits a few at the expense of the majority.”
ICIJ obtained the data through two massive leaks. “The majority of the names in this database come from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, whose inner workings were exposed in the Panama Papers investigation published in April 2016 in conjunction with Süddetsche Zeitung and more than 100 other media partners…The real value of the database is that it strips away the secrecy that cloaks companies and trusts incorporated in tax havens and exposes the people behind them,” said the ICIJ.

“Self-interest, greed & jealousy rule the day” – Correia blasts Gouveia at Ogle Airport rebranding

…says he never was a major player in OAI development

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

Chairman of the newly rebranded Eugene F. Correia Airport Michael Correia on Monday delivered a feral blast at Director of the Roraima Group of Companies Captain Gerald Gouveia over his stern and persistent objections against the renaming of the Ogle International Airport, in recognition of Guyana’s first Public Transport Minister, whose surname coincides with that of those individuals who own majority of shares in the company.
The proceedings commenced with a fiery speech by the Airport’s Chairman, who used the opportunity to set the record straight by lashing out at Gouveia and all the other operators who opposed the renaming.
Correia made it pellucid that no member of his family had in any way suggested to President David Granger that the Airport be renamed

The newly rebranded Eugene F Correia Airport

The newly rebranded Eugene F Correia Airport

“Correia”; nonetheless, he expressed gratitude that the administration went ahead with the initiative despite the protests mounted by the National Aircraft Transport Association (NATA), an organisation consisting of nine of the ten aircraft operators working out of the now Correia Airport.
The Airport Chairman argued that Roraima Airways and all the other operators who are contesting the renaming have contributed little or nothing to its development but are yet cashing in on the investment he and his family have made.
“Roraima Airways, to use as an example, has recently expanded its building and its fleet of aircraft with a reported investment of US$2.5 million. But what has Roraima Airways contributed to the investment in the Airport? The total private investment of Roraima Airways in this Airport is US$83,000 by comparison, or 2.2 per cent of the total equity in the Airport,” he disclosed in portraying that Gouveia and the others have no right to make an objection.
He went on to highlight that Gouveia, in his cries, is simply ridiculing a decision taken by two of the most accomplished aviators: former Director of Civil Aviation Anthony Mekdeci and former Chief Pilot of Guyana Airways Corporation Malcolm Chan–a–Sue, both of whom are senior managers of the Airport.
“Why is Gouveia trying to tear down the good name, and damage the reputation of these national icons, who have helped to make him in his career, and who have made Ogle International Airport the envy of the Caribbean,” Correia stated.
Subtly taking a swing at those operators who objected to the name change, he contended that “self-interest”, “greed” and “jealousy” appear to rule the day.

No dictatorship
President David Granger in his address, also made it clear that he was not lobbied for the Airport to be renamed but rather, it was a genuine decision he took to recognise the contributions of great Guyanese to the development of the country.
“I was not coerced, I was not lobbied. It was simply to recognise the character of the man,” he said.
Granger also made it clear that his administration’s decision to ignore the calls for a reversal of the decision is not a show of dictatorship since the Airport’s Board already granted permission for the undertaking.
Further justifying his decision, the President chronicled extensively the sterling contributions and achievements made by Correia.
Moreover, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson described Correia as a son of the soil whose record every Guyanese should be proud of.
Addressing concerns over the name change, Patterson once again assured that the Airport’s functions and operations will remain the same.
“This airport will still provide a means for those in hinterland communities to bolster economic activity; this airport will still provide a link for access to key services; this airport will still impact lives in big ways,” he stated.
The operators who opposed the renaming of the Airport complained that this act will give an unfair advantage to the Correias.
In November last, the operators vented frustration over the anti-competitive nature at the facility being practised by the company that runs the airport.
“The Correia Group controls the Airport and has increased the cost of fuel; monopolised ground handling and other services and arbitrarily terminated tenancy contracts with the apparent aim of forcing us out,” the operators had expressed.
Against this backdrop, the operators are now fearful that the renaming of the Airport to “Correia” will only add to the long list of problems they endure on a daily basis.

Kitty fire leaves 30 homeless

– arson suspected

An early morning fire on Monday has completely destroyed an apartment complex and severely damaged the neighbouring houses in Shell Road, Kitty, Georgetown.

A crowd watches in dismay as firemen battle to douse the blaze

A crowd watches in dismay as firemen battle to douse the blaze

Thirty persons are now homeless.
The fire reportedly started about 09:45h in the top flat of the apartment complex located at Lot 44B Shell Road.
At the time of the blaze, tenants were occupying the premises along with the wife of the owner of the complex. When Guyana Times visited the scene, the tenants were distraught.
One tenant recalled that she saw huge flames emanating from the top flat of the building. “When I came outside I smelt smoke, I could only grab my [cell] phone and passport. I had a fully furnished house.”
She noted that within minutes the entire building was engulfed in flames.
The now homeless woman added that neighbours assisted the firefighters who arrived promptly, but were unsuccessful in containing the blaze as the fire quickly spread
Persaud, who owns the building next door, stated that the fire had spread to her property causing extensive damage to the tune of some $10 million. However, firemen were able to save her building, which is insured.
An investigation into the matter has commenced.

RDC 10 Councillors mount calls for increased stipend

Councillors within the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) have refused to abort calls for an increase in their stipend, and continue to do so at the statutory level. During a recent meeting of the Council, Councillor Gordon Callender reiterated to Regional Chairman Renis Morian that by law, the Council may each year, with the approval of the Minister appropriate out of the funds, a sum to be utilised for the remuneration of councillors, other than travelling and subsistence expenses. He stated, “…and may with such an approval determine what sum shall be paid unto each councillor.”
According to Callender, the stipend of the Georgetown City Council is much greater than that of Region 10. Presently, Region 10 councillors receive a monthly stipend of $10,000, but have argued that the level of their roles and responsibilities encompasses much more than what the amount allows.
In presenting his argument, Callender said councillors are “not junkies” and deserve to be treated better. More so, he continued to urge Morian to make the necessary representation on behalf of the council. Callender said councillors went as far as preparing a “document” so their voices could be heard regarding the issue. Just recently, some councillors had compared their duties with those of members of parliament who have received a 50 per cent increase. In some instances they had indicated that councillors are tasked with a heftier workload. The councillors had even threatened to down tools over the issue.

Rohee again assures of no power struggle within the PPP

By Devina Samaroo

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Clement Rohee erupted in anger at his Monday morning press conference as he once again rejected rumours of an immense power struggle within his party, following the publication of a contemptuous article exposing an apparent “major clash” among the party leadership over the next presidential candidate.

Former President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Former President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Rohee contended that robust debates are encouraged on a variety of issues and therefore such internal deliberations should not be considered “infighting”, as was reported by Stabroek News on Monday under the headline “PPP executives jockeying for top position.”
The General Secretary said he is disgusted with the “misleading” story which is riddled with pure conjecture:
“If this is what the Stabroek News interprets as ‘infighting’ then, they can’t be helped since they chose to stay in their own echo chamber believing they have latched onto something when in fact it is sheer gossip, conjecture and rumour,” he stated.
The article stated that there was a rift among senior executives over who should be the presidential candidate for the next General and Regional Elections, with the information credited to a “source”; with some members rooting for former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali while others are backing former Culture Youth and Sport Minister Dr Frank Anthony.
The article also pointed out that former President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has his mind set on serving a third term as president after former Chief Justice Ian Chang (AG) ruled that the two-term presidential term-limit is unconstitutional.
It is also rumoured that Rohee has presidential aspirations; however when prompted on this during the press conference, the General Secretary refused to comment.
According to the Party’s Constitution, a General Congress is to be held this year during which party members will be afforded the opportunity to discuss a number of issues as well as nominate and elect new leaders.
However there has been no word yet on a date for the congress and reports suggest that the gathering will be postponed owing to the alleged internal conflicts.
Nonetheless, Rohee maintained that the PPP has always been and will always be a strong and united political force.
He argued that rumours of this nature are certainly not new and the peddling of such misinformation is being done for mischievous reasons.
In this regard, the General Secretary declared that the media “behaves like a stray dog going by the smell of things, and rummaging the Freedom House neighbourhood for new (or old) juicy inaccuracies and speculations.”

RHTY&SC cricket teams and DTV-8 honour outstanding mothers

Three outstanding mothers were honoured on Saturday last as Mothers of the Year 2016 when the cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) M.S and Dave Television station hosted their annual Tribute to Region Six Mothers Programme.
The three mothers honoured were Kavita Ramnarain of Courtland Village, Dhanwatie Utan of Edinburgh, East Bank Berbice, and Malinda Forde of Essex Street, New Amsterdam.
They were chosen by a panel of judges after children from across Region Six had submitted essays on the topic “Why my mother is the best role model to me.”
Each of the awardees received a trophy, Medal of Excellence and a collection of special gifts.
Secretary/CEO of the RHTYSC, M.S, Hilbert Foster congratulated the three mothers on being a good parent and role model to their children.
The long-standing Secretary/CEO urged the awardees to uphold their high standard of parenting and also share their vast experience to other parents in Berbice.
Foster noted that a good parent needs to have the virtues of discipline, patience, understanding and faith in god and noted that the RHTY&SC, M.S, is successful because of the role, parents play in the lives of its membership.
Nothing that Guyana is facing a major breakdown of moral behaviour and a rise of crime, drug abuse and suicide, the experienced youth administration urged parents to be the best role models to their children and to teach them the correct way of life where honest y is the Keyword.
CEO of DTV-8, Anita Rambarran, hailed the outstanding relationship, the RHTY&SC, M.S, and her company has and noted that the Tribute to Mothers Programme started in 2008.
She congratulated the mothers and stated that the programme would be expanded for its 10th edition in 2017. The three mothers extended gratitude to the cricket teams of the club and DTV-8 for honouring them and making Mother’s Day 2016 a memorable one.

CSEC test scripts arrival delayed at Santa Rosa Secondary School

Students at the Santa Rosa Secondary School on Monday were not able to sit a Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exam as per the timetable owing to a delay in the school receiving the exam papers.
This is according to parents of the students who contacted Guyana Times to report the delay. The timetable has Agriculture Science listed as the lone subject for Monday, to be written during the morning hours. However, when students arrived to write the subject, they were reportedly sent back home after being told by the Headmistress of the School that the test scripts had not arrived. The subject was written at approximately 12:45h in the afternoon.
One angry parent told this publication that her child returned home after leaving for the examination, and told her that the examination would be conducted in the afternoon since the test papers had not arrived. She relayed that this annoyed her because CSEC is considered a major examination within the Caribbean and such a delay should not have occurred had there been proper preparations made.
Another parent highlighted that she was inconvenienced owing to the change of time for the examination, “I live far from the school, so my child had to spend money to go, then come home then go back again. My money was wasted.”
The parents all believe the situation was unfair and say that they have reason to wonder if there was some sort of discrimination aimed at the residents of Region One (Barima-Waini).
‘’It’s unfair to us. Maybe it’s because they have something against us since we’re in the interior ‘cause all the other schools around started writing exams this morning. Is only the Santa Rosa School had to write it this afternoon.’’
When this publication spoke to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Education Ministry on this matter, she confirmed that there had been a delay in providing examination scripts to the Santa Rosa Secondary School. She added that the matter had been dealt with and the students were able to write their examinations later in the afternoon. “I can confirm that yes, there was a delay in getting the papers to the students, but as usual, the Ministry had mechanisms put in place and they (students) were able to write the exams and given extra time to finish.”

SS Jaguars, G Square Cavaliers book final spots

Sans Souci Jaguars and G Square Cavaliers have secured their places in the final of the Kelly Andrews T20 tournament after recording victories in the respective semi finals matches played recently in Wakenaam.
Sans Souci Jaguars defeated Good Success by four wickets at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground.
Batting first, Good Success were bowled out for 80 with Gurnauth Khemraj scoring 20; Nokta Moses claimed 2-10 and Siddiq Mohamed 2-15. The Jaguars responded with 81-6 in 14.3 overs. Moses scored 24; Vickram Ramnarine snared 3-18.
G Square Cavaliers overcame Sans Souci by two wickets at the said venue. Sans Souci took first knock and managed 117 all out in 18.2 overs.
Wayne Osbourne struck 24 and Devon Rambarran 23; Somnauth Prashad captured 2-17.
G Square Cavaliers scored 118-8 in 19.2 overs in reply. Bali Scott got 35 and Kamal Khan 25; Osbourne took 2-21.