HGP Nightly News – Attorney General Anil Nandlall says the government is moving to repeal restrictions placed on benefits and facilities for former presidents under the previous APNU+AFC administration, arguing that all former presidents should receive the same standard package after leaving office.
Speaking on his weekly Issues in the News programme, Nandlall said the government intends to restore the framework contained in the 2010 Former Presidents Benefits and Other Facilities legislation.
According to Nandlall, the purpose of the 2010 law was to put into writing benefits that former presidents had already been receiving, but which had not been formally codified in legislation.
“What the intention was then was simply to codify into law and make certain what benefits a former president ought to receive upon retirement,” Nandlall said.
Under the 2009/2010 framework, former presidents were entitled to payment for water, electricity and telephone services at their residence in Guyana; personal and household staff, including an attendant and gardener; clerical and technical staff if requested; free medical attention and treatment or reimbursement of medical expenses for themselves and dependent family members; full-time personal security and Presidential Guard services; state-owned and maintained motor vehicles; toll-free road transportation in Guyana; an annual vacation allowance equivalent to two first-class return airfares; and a tax exemption status similar to that enjoyed by a sitting president.
However, under the APNU+AFC administration, legislation was brought to place limits on those benefits. Those restrictions included monthly caps on utility expenses, limiting water, electricity and telephone allowances to $25,000 each per month. The legislation also limited personal and household staff to three persons and restricted clerical and technical staff to three persons, with such staff to be used for non-political purposes.
The APNU+AFC-era bill also removed tax exemptions and concessions from the benefits and facilities granted to former presidents. It further stated that a former president would cease to receive those benefits if he engaged in business, trade or paid employment, or if he was convicted of a criminal offence for which imprisonment was imposed.
Nandlall said those amendments were intended to restrict what former Presidents Bharrat Jagdeo, Donald Ramotar and Sam Hinds were receiving, but argued that the changes did not achieve that purpose because the law operated prospectively and not retrospectively.
“The Act doesn’t operate retrospectively. The Act operates prospectively,” he said.
He also claimed that former President David Granger has been benefiting from the 2010 law, since the APNU+AFC amendments did not apply to him.
“President Granger is benefiting from the 2010 legislation. The 2015 legislation never applied to him,” Nandlall said.
The Attorney General said the government now wants to “bring normalcy” by repealing the APNU+AFC amendments and restoring the 2010 benefits structure.
“We are repealing those amendments,” he said.
Nandlall argued that the same standard should apply to all former presidents, including future office holders.
“Why should future presidents not get the same package?” he questioned.
The proposed changes are expected to be taken to Parliament as part of the government’s legislative agenda.
