Dear Editor,
This is what happens when you say no to power in Guyana.
A close friend of mine, Maurice Arjoon, gave nearly 30 years of unblemished service to the New Building Society (NBS). Months before retirement — just before he was entitled to his full pension
— his career was destroyed.
Not because he committed a crime.
Not because of incompetence.
But because he refused to comply.
According to documented findings, Arjoon advised that NBS invest $350 million, not the $2 billion being demanded for the Berbice Bridge project. That refusal reportedly angered one of the most powerful figures in the People’s Progressive Party. He was allegedly told, “the President will deal with you.”
And deal with him they did.
Shortly after, the NBS Board was summoned to the Office of the President. Board members later admitted they were told police had evidence against Arjoon and two senior managers. That was false. No such evidence existed. Yet when asked why they were still employed, the message was unmistakable.
They were fired.
Not because they were guilty —
but because they were inconvenient.
Maurice Arjoon was criminally charged for a fraud the Ombudsman later confirmed he did not commit. The Ombudsman stated plainly that there was no evidence that would lead any fair-minded person to believe Arjoon or his colleagues were guilty, and expressed disbelief that charges were ever laid.
Meanwhile, the real fraud — involving over $69 million, forged documents, a fake Power of Attorney, and a forged passport — was carried out by others. Those individuals admitted their roles. Yet Arjoon remained the target.
Critical evidence was never disclosed.
Institutions were pressured.
Boards were coerced.
Laws were amended.
Silence prevailed.
Years later, before the case even ended, Arjoon was quietly approached and asked to drop his lawsuit in exchange for his pension — an admission in itself that he had done nothing wrong. Even then, he was pressured to accept less than what he had earned.
An innocent man lost his career, his reputation, and his financial security.
The real perpetrators walked free.
This is not random corruption.
This is systemic corruption.
This is how institutions are captured.
This is how power protects itself.
If this can be done to the CEO of NBS, no one in Guyana is safe.
And the most disturbing part?
A nation remained quiet.
Silence is complicity.