Sattaur’s job under review – Harmon

Government is currently reviewing the operations of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) as part of its approach to shake up State entities and weed out alleged corrupt officials. Minister of State Joseph Harmon, during a post-Cabinet press briefing on Wednesday, told reporters that GRA’s Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur’s job is currently under review and when the time comes to make a decision on the need for his services in the future, then the Government will do so and the information will be made available to the public.

Currently, audits are ongoing in several State agencies, the GRA included, and when the findings of these probes are revealed, Government will then be in a better position to decide on the way forward.

“This Administration will not preempt what is likely to come out of the audit. If at the end of it, the audit points in a certain direction, then that will be the direction in which we will go,” he said.

Harmon said once the audit reveals that there is a lack of competence, lack of integrity, evidence of corruption or a proposition of no confidence; then these findings will be factors to take into consideration when these decisions are to be made.

He maintained that the GRA is a major revenue earner agency in the country and therefore the Government will “not treat lightly the structure or the administration of such an entity until you are very sure about what you want to do.” Sattaur is currently on vacation along with several other middle managers. Finance Minister Winston Jordan explained that Sattaur had requested his leave.

In addition, some 20 staff members were sent on leave; however, theirs were accumulated leave and therefore they were instructed to take them. Although speculation is rife that Sattaur is being let go, Jordan insisted that the GRA Head was not sent on leave but rather requested his leave.

Meanwhile, despite maintaining that Sattaur had requested leave, Guyana Times International was told that the new Government has reportedly identified a replacement for him. This publication was told that the New York-based replacement for Sattaur has already toured the GRA facility and could take up his position as soon as Sattaur’s contract expires.

Sattaur has already reached the age of retirement, but was retained by the former Administration. Sources said the Government will await the expiration of his current contract to replace him. Contacted previously on this issue, Jordan and Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma both denied having any knowledge of Sattaur’s replacement. “I… don’t know what’s going on,” Jordan told this newspaper recently. “That does not fall under my responsibility so I don’t know,” Sharma insisted.

However, GRA employees told this publication that the “word around the office” is that Sattaur will be replaced.