Those culpable in remigrant scam to 'face the music'
- President
Stabroek News
March 15, 2004

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At the end of the investigation into the remigrant concessions scam those found culpable will have to "face the music", according to President Bharrat Jagdeo.

The President was speaking on Saturday during an interview with NCN's Editor-in-Chief Wilfred Cameron.

According to a Government Information Agency release, he said that several persons have gone to him with data on fraudulent activities and he has channelled this to the Commissioner of Police, Winston Felix and the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

"We cannot promise that there would be no corruption, but if we identify the source of the corruption we are not going to do like the PNC and sweep it under the carpet, as in the past, or have no audited account. We are going to order full investigation, like we did in this matter, and at the end of the day, when the investigation is completed, people would have to face the music", the president said. He added that he has directed that the persons identified in the scam be either sent on leave or dismissed to allow the investigation to proceed.

Following the submission of a report which found that only 31 of the 86 concessions granted to remigrants in August 2003 were valid, the President order the confiscation of the vehicles in question, the handing over of the report to state prosecutors and the auditor general's office and the widening of the probe to cover the period prior to August, 2003.