He asserted that in the absence of clear guidelines for the issuance of blocks and how relinquishment would be approached, SARA’s actions amount to an expedition in which expected outcomes are unclear.Ĭhair of GCCI’s Petroleum Committee, Charles Ramson Jr., said what he found to be offensive and irregular is the act of broadcasting to the world via an international business news service, talk of an investigation with “known or unknown outcomes which could jeopardize the possibility of local investment here in Guyana.” “At this point I think we are shooting in the dark and the State Asset Recovery Agency is wasting its time,” said Chamber President, Nicholas Boyer. The Associated Press then reported on May 29, this time quoting the Deputy Head of the Agency, that the investigation was focusing on two blocks – Kaieteur and Canje. Bloomberg quoted the Director of SARA as saying that the probe is broad in scope and is at an early “investigatory stage.” On May 22, Bloomberg reported that an investigation was underway on how exploration rights were awarded for the Stabroek, Kaieteur and Canje blocks, all operated by ExxonMobil, as well as the Orinduik block operated by Tullow Oil. The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) believes that premature statements to the media by the State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) about investigations in which potential parties of interest have not yet even been contacted, impacts negatively on the country’s business climate. One of the lead groups representing businesses in the South American country of Guyana says while it stands firmly by the rule of law, it outrightly rejects the ‘reckless pronouncements’ being made by an anti-corruption agency regarding an apparent probe into offshore oil blocks issued to several companies.

Shooting blocks