Guyana’s Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo is maintaining that the newly elected Leader of political party, the Alliance for Change (AFC), has a conflict of interest due to his relationship with ExxonMobil, operator of the Stabroek Block.
Nigel Hughes, the AFC Leader, is a Partner at the law firm Hughes, Fields & Stoby. Ever since his June 30 election, Hughes has faced questions about whether he has a conflict of interest since ExxonMobil is a client of his firm.
The AFC is part of the parliamentary opposition block APNU+AFC which holds 31 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly.
Hughes has said he is not currently in a position to influence government policy relating to Exxon. “If and when elected to office, I will relinquish all ties with the firm,” Hughes said during a July 5 AFC press conference. He has said this would apply if he is elected President or to another position in government.
He said though he can influence AFC policy on the oil and gas sector, the party has addressed this matter by appointing an oil and gas advisory committee, of which he will have no part.
But the country’s Vice President says this approach is not practical since oil and gas is one of the biggest issues engaging the public’s attention.
“How could you, as the leader of a party, not pay attention or talk about oil and gas now, in this contemporary context, when that’s one of the most topical issues?” Jagdeo told reporters last Thursday at his weekly press conference.
ExxonMobil Guyana President Alistair Routledge was asked about the matter on Tuesday, and told reporters, “We comply with all laws and regulations here and internationally. So, we don’t believe we have any conflict of interest, any issues.”
But Jagdeo dismissed Routledge’s comment, saying “Exxon is a conflicted party itself… What else do you expect them to say?”
The Vice President said while Routledge is entitled to his views, expressing this position is like wanting to judge its own conflict. He said ExxonMobil could easily make political contributions to Hughes and his party to protect its interests in a future government, via payments to the law firm.
Jagdeo has maintained that Hughes has a conflict. The Vice President is keeping the issue at the forefront in public discourse. He said Thursday, “I do hope that OilNOW would write on the conflict of interest too because it gets a global resonance…”
The official reminded that Guyana’s general election will be held in the last quarter of 2025. Political parties have been moving to close ranks, including by electing new leaders as they prepare for campaign season. It will be the first general election since Guyana started spending revenues from the oil sector in 2022.
