WITH four people, including publisher of the Kaieteur News, Mohan ‘Glenn’ Lall, already before the courts for an alleged duty-free scam, investigations into Guyana’s remigrant scheme are continuing.And Auditor-General Deodat Sharma told the Guyana Chronicle that his office expects to wrap up their investigations by the end of February.
Initially, the investigation was expected to have been completed by the latest yesterday. However, Sharma noted that given the scope of work, additional information is needed.
“GRA, because of the fact they have shifted offices, has been somewhat slow in getting the necessary paperwork to us. Remember too that in some cases we have to go as far back as 2010,” he said.
Sharma told this newspaper that more than 20 persons are under review.
To date, Sharma has forwarded two reports to the Board of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), through which the Authority requested an investigation.
FALSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS
While he declined to comment on the findings of the reports, the Auditor General disclosed that two major issues that the reports highlighted were the falsification of documents and whether or not the persons applying for the benefits offered to remigrants, actually qualify as remigrants.
Under the remigrant programme, Guyanese who would have resided overseas for more than five years and are returning home to live are entitled to a number of benefits, among which are import duty-free waivers for vehicles, and tax exemption for household items, once the items at reference were owned for six months or more in the country where the remigrant was living.
Relative to the duty-free concession, the Guyana Chronicle is told that this is awarded on condition that “the motor vehicle cannot be leased or transferred within three years of registration, and providing that the registration licence, fitness and registration and insurance are submitted for inspection at the GRA every six months.”
“There are a few other contentions that the report addressed, but the details of those I cannot disclose,” Sharma added.
He did, however, indicate that the findings of his reports will be addressed in his yearend report as Auditor General, which is usually submitted to the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and subsequently made public.
Asked about the move forward after all his reports have been completed and sent to GRA’s Board, Sharma explained that from there it would be for the Authority to take the requisite action.
“We should expect movement on the matter soon,” the Auditor-General said. (Vanessa Narine)