Despite the Ministry of Public Health having stated its intention to end the contract for the rental of the controversial Sussex Street bond, Minister Volda Lawrence confirmed last night that budgetary allocations have been made for its rental for the entire year of 2018.
During the consideration of the 2018 budget estimates yesterday, PPP/C Member of Parliament Dr Frank Anthony questioned Lawrence on what the budgetary allocation for the line item 6241 (Rental of Buildings) under the Policy Development and Administration Pro-gramme, at a total sum of $180.3 million, was going towards.
Lawrence subsequently explained that the figure was budgeted to cater for the rental of four buildings. She further explained that a building was being rented for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at a rate of $25,000 per month, a building in Queenstown for displaced staff from a health facility at Liliendaal at a rate of $1.5 million per month, another that is pegged at 1.5 million but is still to be negotiated, and the rental of the Sussex Street drug bond at a rate of $12.5 million per month. ….
Greenidge says he advised against disclosing bonus
Admitting that it was he who advised President David Granger to not disclose the ExxonMobil US$18M signature bonus, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge yesterday said that he thought then and still believes that publicising of the deal holds serious implications for Guyana pertaining to the border controversy with Venezuela.
Miner charged with murder of Venezuelan at Eteringbang
A miner was yesterday remanded to prison by a city Magistrate, after he was charged with the murder of a Venezuelan national, who was allegedly beaten to death last Friday evening.
Trotman should have advised President placing oil bonus outside Consolidated Fund illegal
The onus was on Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman to tell President David Granger that he would be breaking the law if the US$18M bonus went anywhere else but to the Consolidated Fund, commentator and civil society activist Melinda Janki says.
All contracts for natural resources should be published
Keeping information from the public only results in distrust and contracts for all of the country’s natural resources should be published, says Government’s Petroleum Advisor Jan Mangal.
Police were summoned to Parliament by caller purporting to speak for Clerk – source
Lawmen who showed up in the Parliament Chambers on Monday following the ruckus around PPP/C Member of Parliament, Juan Edghill were summoned by a caller purporting to be acting on the instruction of the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs, a well-placed source told Stabroek News.