Four fired in Lands and Surveys crackdown on corruption

Last Updated on Monday, 9 December 2019, 20:29 by Writer

Four employees of the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) were dismissed this year for corrupt practices, a senior official of that semi-autonomous state agency said Monday.

GLSC Human Resources Manager, Shonda James-Williams says the employees were fired because they had privately collected monies and promised to issue lands to potential clients of the commission. “We had about three employees who were terminated for corruption and in those cases, staff would have entered into agreement with clients, issued receipts, collected monies in exchange for lands and so when those cases came to us, as a commission…the clients weren’t turned over to the police because the clients didn’t want to proceed, but as a commission we took our action based on our policy,” she told a news conference.

The Human Resources Manager says the scams were reported to the commission by the duped customers while an audit unearthed misdemeanour by another of the former employees. “Some of them, the clients came in after time would have elapsed and promise of land wasn’t coming to fruition so they came in and they complained; others from audit,” she said , adding that an audit had picked up a case of an inflated cost.

Commissioner of the GLSC, Trevor Benn says the commission has taken steps to computerise all aspects of the commission’s work to detect corruption. “This is why we are digitising everything. Every staff member, including the driver, must have access to a computer and their instructions will be given by computer and we will see the transaction as it goes and comes…At the moment, it’s more difficult because it’s mostly paper-based and several people have access,” Benn said. Officials are calling on the public to only pay money for land at the GLSC office where an official GLSC receipt will be issued. Commissioner Benn says the agency will not be responsible for persons paying monies to staff members outside of the prescribed procedure at the GLSC.