Guyana scored 39 out of 100 on the corruption index. According to the Transparency International, on its score card, a score of 100 is seen as clean while a score of 0 is seen as highly corrupt. Photo: News Source Guyana

According to the report, although Guyana has created anti-corruption institutions and laws, transparency and law enforcement are very low, and attacks on dissenting voices, activists and journalists are increasingly common.

Guyana scored 39 out of 100 on the corruption index. According to the Transparency International, on its score card, a score of 100 is seen as clean while a score of 0 is seen as highly corrupt.

The Government has been coming under increased criticism and scrutiny over reports of corruption within public institutions and Government offices. The Government has also faced criticism over attacks targeting Government critics and those who highlight cases and allegations of corruption in Government.

Some activists have accused the Government of filing trumped up cyber crime charges against them, in an effort to silence their criticism.

In December, the Government hosted an anti-corruption expo, and at that event, the Minister of Governance Gail Teixeira acknowledged the reports of corruption within the Government.

She said as Guyana goes forward in the anti-corruption fight and gets better and stronger in investigating corruption, there needs to be focus on building resilient institutions against corruption.

Teixeira said there are a number of institutions involved in the fight against corruption, and with more resources being provided to them, more is expected from them.

But even with that assurance, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration continues to be dogged with allegations of widespread corruption within the Government, especially as it relates to the award of contracts and the procurement of good and services.

Just last week, the CEO of the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Sherwyn Greaves, resigned from office amid questions surrounding his purchase of high priced properties in the United States and the sale of prime lands in Guyana to companies associated with his real estate agents in the US.

Mr Greaves has denied any wrongdoing.

Last week, an embattled Assistant Commissioner of Police, Calvin Brutus, was fired from his job after a Tribunal set up by the Police Service Commission cited him for alleged acts of corruption in the procurement of millions of dollars in goods for the Police Force. While he has denied those claims and the legitimacy of the Tribunal, he continues to face more than 250 criminal charges in the Courts for a number of alleged financial crimes related to his work in the Police Force.

In June 2024, the Permanent Secretary of the Labour Ministry, Mae Thomas, was sanctioned by the US Government for her alleged acts of corruption that were linked to two prominent businessmen and their businesses, which were also sanctioned by the US.

Thomas was sent on administrative leave and continues to receive a full salary. The Government of Guyana has been seeking information from the United States on the sanctions.

There continues to be concerns about widespread corruption in the award of multi-million dollar government contracts covering a number of sectors, from Agriculture, to infrastructure development to housing development. The Opposition has continuously accused the Government of dolling out billions of dollars in contracts to its “friends, families and favourites”.

The Vice President has stated that the systems to guard against corruption in Guyana are working.