Dr Naresh Singh to take legal steps to salvage reputation

By Pushpa Balgobin –

Dr Naresh Singh, the man who lost the prestigious deputy secretary general post of Caricom over allegations of unethical conduct while heading a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) programme, said he was speaking with lawyers to clear his name.

He said that he will be actively pursuing avenues that will “let the public know what I stand for and have always stood for in both my professional and private life”. Dr Singh stated that his priority at this time was to clear his name “from the false and malicious damage perpetrated by recent allegations” and after that he would “see what happens”.
Dr Singh was optimistic that he would be able to contribute further to Guyanese society, “I hope I will find appropriate opportunity to return to Guyana and the Caribbean to serve and share my decades of international experience if such need exists or arises.” He said that the press was partially responsible for the spreading of the allegations which ultimately resulted in Caricom rescinding its offer of appointing him deputy secretary general of the organisation.
Dr Singh had stepped down from his most recent post at the Caribbean Local Economic Development (CARILED) programme of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) after he was being investigated by the Canadian Public Integrity (CPI) Commission over a possible conflict of interest.
He had previously worked for CIDA when it came to light that he allegedly misappropriated office resources and undertook the commissioning of similar services for the private sector.
CPI Commissioner Marion Dion had related that Dr Singh was under investigation for two years before the allegations were confirmed. Dr Singh has, however, remained adamant that while he worked for CIDA, he undertook private contract work with the United Nations with the appropriate approval from the agency. He added that both organisations knew about the various projects.
Dr Singh had stated that “in execution of my consultancies, I received a very small number of isolated emails and conference calls during business hours which were inappropriate”; however, “at no time did I intentionally break the rules or attempt to enrich myself at the expense of the Canadian taxpayer”.
The misappropriation of CIDA resources also caused the agency to suspend the CARILED FCM programme in Guyana, a Cdn$ 23.2 million programme, which is still currently suspended.
Prior to the suspension, Dr Singh was in Guyana and spoke with Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud and conducted interviews for local representatives in mid February.