Conflict of interest!

– Mayor Green wants wife’s Gy$10.2M tax payment reimbursed

– Glenn Lall, Chris Ram continue to owe millions

Sparking chaos and controversy at the level of the City Council, Mayor Hamilton Green appears to be abusing his power in a clear “conflict of interest” manner to influence the Council to reimburse the Gy$10 million in backdated taxes his wife Jennifer Basdeo-Green was mandated by law to pay for her property Jelante Pharmacy on Mandela Avenue and Jamoon Drive.

According to the minutes of the Statutory Meeting of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, which was held on Monday, Mayor Green insisted that the owner of the property must be “compensated” for monies which the previous Town Clerk Carol Sooba “extracted in violation of a Council’s decision”. According to Green, the “injustice” must be corrected.

Observers contended that not only is his directive a reflection of a conflict of interest, it represents a serious case of abuse of power and it is outright ultra vires and illegal.

If this motion is approved by Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, a series of unfortunate events could ensue where the Rule of Law will ultimately be undermined and the image will be portrayed that any government official can be exempt from facing the full force of the law.

An approval of this motion could also set the tone for the outcome of the pending tax evasion cases of Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram and Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall where they too could be exempt from the penalties of the law for the millions of dollars they owe altogether to the City Council.

Last year, when reports surfaced that the Mayor’s wife had owed the municipality millions of dollars in taxes, Green had initially denied this allegation. Continuously, the Mayor had bitterly complained that Town Clerk Sooba was deliberately attacking him and his family.

Thereafter, reports surfaced that Mayor Green was seeking to write-off the debt which he finally admitted was owed by his wife. Based on reports, after Sooba refused to write off the debt, it was then the Mayor increased his calls for her to demit office. Then, finally in November, his wife paid off the full Gy$10.2 million she owed the City Council in rates and taxes.

At the time, Sooba had noted that the Mayor’s wife had set the pace for the other alleged tax evaders including Lall and Ram to follow. One of the first acts of the new Government was to boot Sooba from office.

Reports suggest that Ram is indebted to the Council for Gy$11.3 million for properties on Waterloo Street, Georgetown, while Lall and his wife owe millions in taxes for a Lot 24 Saffon Street, Georgetown property.