News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 22, 2013: The Caribbean Community, (CARICOM), has rescinded its offer of the post of deputy secretary-general to Guyanese-born national, Dr. Naresh Singh.
CARICOM said that it made an offer to Dr. Singh for the post of Deputy Secretary-General based upon requisite checks. But recently, media reports claimed that Singh was being investigated by Canadian authorities for being in a possible conflict of interest situation in the handling of a Cad$23M entrepreneur training fund for the region.
“This candidate had been proposed by the Secretary-General in accordance with the recruitment process for Executive Management of the Secretariat. Subsequent to the offer and Dr. Singh’s acceptance of that offer, information came to light regarding certain allegations against Dr. Singh which had been the subject of a confidential investigation by the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, which is an independent Agency of the Parliament of Canada,” CARICOM said in a statement this week.
The Deputy Secretary-General post is the second most powerful executive position in CARICOM, a regional trade and integration body which has its headquarters in Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. The position was held by Lolita Applewhaite who retired this month.
