Indar indicates Western Logistics company documents stolen before burglary, as he dismisses conflict of interest claims

Last Updated on Monday, 20 June 2022, 10:57 by Writer

Minister of Public Works II, Deodat Indar on Sunday related that the privately-owned Stabroek News newspaper has been informed that it was in possession of stolen company documents.

That was although they were obtained from the Registry weeks before a burglary occurred, even as he dismissed claims of conflict of interest in the oil and gas sector.

The company involved is Western Logistics Guyana Inc of which the records so far show that he signed as a director on October 30, 2020, about two months after he had been appointed a minister in August, 2020. The records reportedly show that Mr Indar signed as a director of the company, to appoint a “Director and Secretary as signatory of the company to execute all relevant documents on behalf of the company.”

But Mr Indar on Sunday sought to dispel concerns that he was in a situation of conflict of interest. “May I restate as a matter of fact, before I became a Minister, I held several corporate executive positions and as a businessman spanning over 20 years. Since assuming the office as a Minister, I have resigned all positions previously held in the private sector, and not for profit organizations. I am not functioning in any capacity at any company or organization in Guyana. These facts are reported and declared in my submission to the Integrity Commission of Guyana,” he said in a statement.

In his statement, the government minister said a Director of the company, whom he did not name, informed the Stabroek News reporter that the documents she had had in her possession were “original” and stolen in mid-April, 2022. “A call was placed to the current Management of the Company and the reporter from Stabroek News spoke directly to the Director of the Company who informed her that the documents in her possession were stolen as a result of a break-in of company’s premises that occurred on April 14, 2022.” Stabroek News reported on Sunday that the documents in the possession of the reporter were obtained from the Deeds Registry in March, 2022.

“These were original corporate documents and a Board Resolution of a Company where I was once an officer of, before I took Government office,” said Indar who was appointed Minister of Public Works in early August 2020.

The Deeds Registry, on providing company documents after payments are made and Government of Guyana receipts are issued, certifies the copies and dates on which that is done.

The Public Works Minister II also related that the company official also informed the reporter that the perpetrator was not yet arrested and that the matter was reported then to the police for investigation.

Stabroek News reported on Sunday that police detectives last week visited its offices and spoke with its Editor-in-Chief, Anand Persaud about the matter.

But the Minister denied playing any role in getting the police to go to Stabroek News, “I would like to state that I did not initiate , instruct, , or use another agent or colleague to instruct the police to visit Stabroek News as they have accused me of doing.” He claimed that the reporter told him that someone had dropped “an envelope at Stabroek News and she wanted to clarify some documents bearing my signature.”