President Irfaan Ali has rushed to the defense of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo against bribe-taking allegations and is now questioning the credibility of the international journalist for the Vice News Agency who interviewed the Vice President about the claims.

The Vice President has denied the allegations that he has accepted bribes from Chinese businesses to land big contracts in Guyana.

The Chinese Embassy in Guyana has also denied the allegations. And the Chinese businessman who was used by the Vice journalist as the source for the information has also backed away from the claims, indicating in local state media reports that he never made any such accusation.

When questioned by reporters about the issue today on the sidelines of the annual military officers’ conference, President Irfaan Ali dismissed the reports and allegations while questioning the credibility of the journalist who conducted the interview with the Vice President.

“My Government is above board”, the President said as he told local journalists that he has received information that the award-winning journalist who questioned the Vice President about the bribery claims may be influenced by “special interests”.

According to the President, “there is a lot of sensationalism that is going on and I am not into that, I am into facts and building one Guyana with honesty and integrity, based on hard work and based on facts. This same reporter did not even know what the Amaila Falls project is about and did not even know the name of roads but came here and I heard because we have intelligence-gathering too, I heard that the reporter has certain special interests and the allegation was made and as President, people called me and said this reporter was having a special interest and a special group and was managed by a special group…And I want the reporter to respond whether this is true”.

While the Vice News Agency has not released its report as yet on the Vice President’s interview, the Guyana Government has started a major public relations push back against the allegations that were presented to the Vice President during the interview.

It was the Office of the Vice President that released a video recording of the interview six days after the one-on-one sit down.

In the interview, Vice President Jagdeo seemed stunned by the reporter’s questions about his alleged involvement in accepting bribes from Chinese businessmen for lucrative contracts in the country. He dismissed and denied the allegations and at a later press conference said the foreign news agency was attempting to involve Guyana in the economic spat that has been taking place between China and the United States.

During the interview, the foreign journalist told the Vice President that according to her source, Chinese businessman Su Zhi Rong who the Vice President admitted knowing, he would allow amendments to laws to accommodate bribe-paying Chinese businessmen. Vice President Jagdeo rubbished the allegations and today, President Irfaan Ali dismissed the allegations as “nonsense”.

“She said that the Vice President would change the Constitution. What nonsense that that is the allegation. Somebody could just wake up and change the constitution? There is a process and that alone and the misinformation discredits her and tells you that her only objective was pursuing a special interest. Go and do your research on this news agency and on this individual”, he encouraged local journalists.

The Chinese Embassy in Guyana on Wednesday issued a statement condemning the questions and allegations about Chinese businesses paying bribes for contracts in Guyana.

According to the Chinese Embassy, “Chinese companies operating in Guyana are following the local laws, international practices, and market rules, participating in big projects through open and fair competitions, which is beyond reproach.”

In a statement that was dispatched to sections of the local state media, the Chinese businessman at the centre of the allegations was quoted as saying that he has never solicited any bribe or inducement from any company or individual for himself or any Guyana Government official including the Vice President.

The businessman is a tenant at one of the Vice President’s personal properties and has been living in Guyana for several years. He reportedly has Guyanese citizenship and has been seen in the past attending major government functions and meetings involving Chinese investors.

The Vice News Agency journalist, Isobel Yeung, who interviewed the Vice President and has found herself in the middle of the Guyana Government’s ire, appears taken aback by the controversy that her interview has erupted.

In a Twitter post, she highlighted various reports carried in the Guyanese media on her interview and said “we seem to have hit a nerve with Guyana Vice President Jagdeo. Our report hasn’t even come out as yet”.

The Vice News Agency is known for its documentaries and long-form reports on major international issues.

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