Williams says it was a conflict of interest for Former President Ramotar to approve Red House lease

The Attorney General has disclosed that Former President Donald Ramotar has accepted the “charge of conflict of interest” for giving approval “in his own interest” the controversial Red House Lease.

The Former President was a shareholder and founding member of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre Incorporated (CJRCI) and in 2006 applied for a lease of the Red House.

According to a statement read by the AG, Basil Williams today at his Chambers, Ramotar’s “late bid” has been rejected by the Government, which views this as a veiled attempt to “plug a lacuna in the Application filed by the CJRCI” in which it was never mentioned that the lease was given approval by Former President Ramotar.

The AG said Mr. Ramotar should have been advised that the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys cannot lease national buildings, monuments and Heritage sites.

Williams says this latest bit is reminiscent of a similar intervention to save the former AG, Anil Nandlall, who according to the AG had unlawfully taken away Law Books from the Chambers worth some $3M and is yet to return them, despite numerous requests to do so.

Former President Ramotar, when contacted by News Room in relation to the AG’s statement said he sees nothing wrong with approving the lease since contrary to what the statement suggests when he became President he relinquished his position on the CJRCI’s board.

Mr. Ramotar said when the application was made he was still a member of the board but upon assuming the presidency he ceased to be a functioning member of that board. And while his name may have still been listed, he maintains that he was not a board member.