‘We take conflicts of interest seriously’ – Jagdeo

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo Thursday said the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government is serious about avoiding any conflicts of interest to guarantee good governance.

Jagdeo, who is the General Secretary of the party, noted how serious the PPP/C is about avoiding conflicts of interest as he continued to raise concerns about the newly-elected leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Nigel Hughes.

According to the Vice President, there was one current government minister who had been in business with ExxonMobil before his appointment to the cabinet. That minister, Jagdeo said, was given an ultimatum: cease business with the company or be excluded from the cabinet.

And that minister ceased all business transactions as he assumed a role in government.

“We take this conflict of interest seriously,” Jagdeo said at his weekly press conference.

Mr. Hughes leads the political party but his law firm, Hughes, Fields and Stoby – represents the oil company.

Mr. Hughes disagrees that a conflict of interest exists but has said that he will cut ties with his law firm only if elected to serve in government. The lawyer also said he will not participate in any discussions or decisions on oil and gas in the AFC.

Jagdeo still believes a conflict exists and vowed to keep raising concerns on the matter. And he said the PPP has consistently avoided such conflicts.

A day before, Jagdeo contended that ExxonMobil would have no problem with a political leader’s firm on their payroll because they stand to benefit from that relationship.

“Why would you(ExxonMobil)want to get rid of the leader of a political party in Parliament who is on your payroll, who has publicly stated that he will put Exxon’s interest above that of Guyana?” Jagdeo said in a comment provided to the News Room.

The Vice President’s comments came hours after ExxonMobil Guyana’s President Alistair Routledge denied concerns about a potential conflict of interest with Hughes.