The Alliance For Change (AFC) has backed a call by its coalition partner for President Irfaan Ali to call in independent investigators to probe the bribery allegations against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

The bribe-for-contracts allegations were made against the Vice-President by a well-connected Chinese businessman who was secretly recorded by the US-based Vice News Agency as part of a documentary report.

The Vice President has denied the allegations, but they continue to haunt him.

Some international media companies are now following up on the Vice News report.

Today, Alliance For Change Leader Khemraj Ramjattan said the promise by the Government to go after investors who use middlemen when seeking government contracts is meant to distract.

“This is but a strategy to not only perpetuate corruption in high places, but it is also hard to chase or convict bad guys when you are babysitting the boss. Why go after the small fries like investors and middlemen, when the entire corrupt scheme could be disfigured and discontinued by displacing the boss. In a triangular affair as this, the better policy is to criminalize that unwholesome politics of the boss who makes friends with the SUs of the world and then give them access to meet him at his home,” Ramjattan said.

According to the AFC Leader, the Vice President must step down in order for a competent investigation to be done into the allegations. He suggested the President call in the World Bank to probe the allegations.

“President Irfaan Ali should call on the world bank to probe this matter. It will save the country money for a costly Commission of Inquiry and a certainly questioned report which will be found unacceptable by half of the population if it is done by local people,” Ramjattan noted.

According to Mr. Ramjattan, the issue must not be dismissed since there are serious questions surrounding the way the current government is doing business.

“An ethical public figure would have offered some modicum of apology to the Guyanese but the AFC notes his arrogance and aura of invincibility. As presently advised the AFC will not be comfortable with a probe that is conducted by the police knowing how they performed with the recent Quindon Bacchus matter and for a number of other reasons,” Ramjattan noted.

Vice President Jagdeo has said his hands are clean and that he would welcome an investigation. Last weekend, the Vice News Agency released an extended version of its documentary piece on Guyana for Sale on youtube.

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