Helping fastrack business dealings cannot be seen as corruption -AG Nandlall

Attorney General Anil Nandlall is defending Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in wake of the bribery allegations in that Vice News report.

The Vice President has denied the allegations and President Irfaan Ali indicated that he has full confidence in the Vice President.

Now the Attorney General has added his voice in defense of the Vice President.

During his weekly Issues in the News television programme last evening, the Attorney General said the statements made by the Vice President and captured by undercover cameras need to be taken in context and Mr. Jagdeo cannot be accused of any wrongdoing based on the statements.

He said all Government officials from time to time would lend support to members of the public and persons from the business community who are in need of help and that cannot be considered corruption.

“We have to go out there to get people to vote, we have to go out there to get people’s support when they support you, they expect, they expect assistance if you win the government, they expect you if you have influence in the government to assist them expediting their particular endeavors. Engaging in such an act, cannot be corruption,” the Attorney General said in his programme last night.

Mr. Nandlall also rubbished claims that such practices of expediting people’s business can amount to nepotism if government officials try to remove bureaucratic red tapes.

“And I have done that, I have done that directly to persons who are the actual investors themselves and I have done that for several persons whom I know and may have known these persons who are requesting the help and I can safely say that many ministers in our government and many PPP leaders have had to do that as part of their political task,” the attorney general said.

But amid the Su allegations, Mr. Nandlall is assuring that monies do not need to be paid to Ministers for persons to have their processes expedited.

“There are three or four persons from New York, right now who are trying to make contact with me and they are engaging in certain endeavors with the government and they ask if their processes can be expedited, you want me to tell them no? You want me to tell them no when I know the process can be slow,” Nandlall questioned.

The Attorney General said it was clear that the Vice News piece could not pin any corrupt practice on the Vice President and therefore Guyanese must see it for what it is.