“If they don’t do a good job, they could end up blessing something that is actually bad. They may say ‘yes we checked. There is no evidence so we are not doing anything.’ So what you have…is a government entity that has allowed the oil companies to defraud the country…” – Dr. Mangal
Even though he is supportive of the State Asset Recovery Agency’s (SARA) probe into the award of Guyana’s oil blocks, Oil Consultant Dr. Jan Mangal says that one needs to be cognizant of the fact that the entity’s chances of success are slim.
The former Presidential Advisor said that readers simply need to look at SARA’s track record to understand his conclusion. Since being formed as a department in 2015, and then a legal entity in 2017, SARA is yet to recover a single state asset. Dr. Mangal also opined that the challenges before SARA in this investigation will be immense as it is going up against some of the world’s largest oil companies such as ExxonMobil and Tullow.
The transparency advocate said, “We have to recognise that even if they want to do a good job, they would be under immense pressure. I have sent a letter to the local media on this matter already, but the next thing I plan to do with a subsequent letter is to map out and define what success for the people of Guyana is, where this matter is concerned. My worry is that SARA could, if they don’t do a good job, end up blessing something that is actually bad.”
Dr. Mangal continued, “They may say ‘yes we checked. There is no evidence so we are not doing anything.’ So what you have in effect is a government entity that has by all accounts, allowed the oil companies to defraud the country.”