Govt mum on PPP/C’s proposal to assist with tax evasion cases

TIMES INT'L
Attorney General Basil Williams
Attorney General
Basil Williams

Even with a whopping Gy$20 billion of taxpayers’ monies on the line, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government is yet to accept the offer made by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Opposition to help Attorney General Basil Williams in several pending tax evasion cases.

During a recent interview with the Attorney General, he declined to comment on the matter.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a media conference last week Friday expressed some concerns over the apparent non-acceptance of the offer, urging the Administration to swiftly make contact with former Attorney General Anil Nandlall for assistance.

“I hope the Government does not lose those cases based on bad representation,” Jagdeo posited.

The new Government is currently faced with about 10 tax evasion cases which could rake in some Gy$20 billion, if government is successful in winning them.

Williams had previously accused the previous People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration of being responsible for several missing files relating to the cases.

However, the PPP/C maintains it did not take away any documents. It also offered to assist the Government in winning the cases by offering the services of the country’s former Attorney General who has a wealth of knowledge about these cases.

“We will share all of the institutional memory that we have about those tax cases, because we don’t want the Government to lose those tax cases based on bad legal representation, because it will cause the treasury billions of dollars and us as taxpayers – people of this country. We want to share things with them; we want to work with them on this,” Jagdeo had previously outlined.

Jagdeo had noted that if Government is successful in winning these cases, then the billions of dollars could be directed towards developing the country.

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