Professor Clive Thomas no longer listed as Guysuco director; new directors still listed in company registry

Last Updated on Monday, 16 April 2018, 21:50 by Denis Chabrol

Head of the Special Purpose Unit of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, Colvin Heath-London (left) and Finance Minister, Winston Jordan.

Cabinet is yet to announce a new Chairman and other directors of the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco), although Finance Minister Winston Jordan has said new directors announced in early March have been scrapped.

Jordan has said Cabinet Secretary Joseph Harmon prematurely announced Guysuco’s new Board of Directors before full Cabinet approval. Evidence at the Company Registry shows that government went as far as filing the names of the new Board of Directors.

Those directors were up to Monday still listed at the Company Registry, and no changes were published in the Official Gazette, although the Finance Minister has said those persons are no longer directors. “Decision on the board was deferred and therefore, the decision that was written up by the Secretary was null and void,” he told a news conference last weekend.

Jordan also said that Distinguished Professor of Economics, Clive Thomas was still the Chairman of Guysuco’s Board, but the registry filing shows that Thomas was among several persons who were removed as a director of the sugar corporation.

On March 1, 2018, Colvin Heath-London, Verna Adrian, Arianne Mc Lean, Dr. Roshan Khan and Annette Arjoon were appointed directors  while Professor Clive Thomas, Louise Bouyea, John Browman, Nigel Cumberbatch and Sharon Roopchand-Edwards ceased to hold office as directors. Arianne Mc Lean replaced Frederick Singh as Secretary.

Also on March 1, 2018, government filed the new consented directors -Vishnu Panday, George Jervis, and Fritz Mc Lean.

The Finance Minister has explained that a Cabinet sub-committee, under the Chairmanship of Vice President, Carl Greenidge, himself, Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder and Minister of State Minister, Joseph Harmon had recommended the Board. That recommendation had provided for the Board to have been chaired by Heath-London.