Georgetown: Embattled Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Omar Shariff is refuting accusations of being the holder of multi-billion-dollar bank accounts and properties in many regions across Guyana, and has accused the media of “character assassination. ”Shariff has, in a strongly worded missive, sought to distance himself from this “exorbitant wealth”, as was described by his subject minister Joseph Harmon, and has stated that the accusation “is simply not true.”
“…I deny all allegations which seek to link me and my business to money laundering, tax evasion, and any corrupt practice that arises as a result of misuse of public funds or the breakage of the law,” he has said.
Shariff explained that he has provided information to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) after an investigation was launched into a personal matter related to tax remittance and compliance regarding his “legitimate business operations” conducted over the past few years.
He alleges that these reports of his having wealth have been “deliberately skewed, distorted, misrepresented and misinterpreted” for obvious sensationalism, and to imply that he had stolen billions of dollars of public funds and owns billions of dollars’ worth of properties and shares in public companies.
“This is simply not true,” he said, adding that the continued publication of these accusations has caused him and his family great concern in terms of security, hardship and otherwise.
Shariff is alleged to have deposited more than eighteen billion Guyana dollars ($18B) in 14 bank accounts over a five-year period. This is the equivalent of ninety million United States’ dollars (US$90M), and all of this money reportedly belongs to him.
Of this amount, sixteen billion, two hundred million dollars ($16.2B) were reportedly withdrawn over the said period.
This public servant was also able to acquire nine properties over a seven-year period. Six of these properties are in the name of his reputed wife, Sabeita Hardeo. In addition, he has six motor vehicles registered in his name, including a tractor and trailer — all of which were acquired before 2015.
Against this backdrop, Shariff has sought to refute allegations of possessing “exorbitant wealth,” strongly condemning the allegations as a series of “vile, sensationalist, untrue, propagandistic, and, in substantial and material respects, misleading news reports” carried by sections of the electronic, broadcast and print media.
Shariff has also stated that this “distortion of (a) personal income tax matter” to make it appear to be theft and embezzlement of public funds was without any factual foundation, and was driven by mischief by those who did so. He said he is unable to discern from where the publications have concluded that he was holding billions of dollars in his accounts, since it is “simply not true.”
Shariff has expressed his “deep respect” for the role of the media to pursue truth and facts, but has reasoned that when that right is abused to achieve character assassination, it is cause for concern. “…when that right is abused, manipulated, and a deliberate agenda is seemingly pursued to achieve character assassination, the distortion of facts and the Goebbelsian peddling of misinformation, there is cause for concern, not only for myself and family, but also for the many law-abiding citizens who can become ensnared and victims of such grave injustices,” he has said in a statement.
He also noted that the fact that selected media houses continue to publish detailed information, which they purport to be true about his alleged assets, accounts and their contents, is indicative that one or more persons at a high level of the investigation is pursuing an obvious agenda against him. This attempt, he said, is to try him in public, impugn his integrity, and reduce his standing as a professional.
Accordingly, he has issued a call on the media to practise the tenets of fair, impartial, balanced, and responsible journalism to follow up this matter.
“I call upon the individuals within the organs of the state to exercise restraint in agenda-setting and the divulging of information for sensationalism, which compromises not only the state organs themselves, but also the banking system, citizens’ confidence in the rule of law, and Guyana as a maturing democracy,” he has said.
Shariff, moreover, has expressed confidence in the Government as a maturing democracy, and has declared his expectation is that the investigating bodies and all concerned with probing the matter would allow due process to be maintained.
“I am confident that I will be vindicated at the end of this matter,” he has declared.
According to recent reports, the public servant had, in five commercial banks, 14 bank accounts which contain millions, and in some cases billions, of dollars. Shariff had in excess of $1B in a Citizens Bank account, and more than $14.9B in nine GBTI accounts. He also had one Republic Bank account which held $953.6M, and two Scotia Bank accounts with one holding in excess of $454.9M. A New Building Society (NBS) account with $2.1M was also discovered in his name.
Reports have also revealed that he was able to acquire nine properties over a seven-year period, and six of these are in the name of his reputed wife, Sabeita Hardeo. Additionally, in 2010, Shariff and Hardeo were able to acquire thousands of shares in three major companies in Guyana: Banks DIH, Republic Bank, and Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI).
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