PPP files complaint with US Dept. of Justice against lobbying firm JJ&B, LLC

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo says that his party has filed a complaint with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) against lobbying firm JJ&B, LLC for what he termed a “fraudulent filing.”

Jagdeo during a virtual press conference on Friday said that “we have filed a complaint with the Justice Department against the firm… that company can be penalized heavily and face huge fines for misleading the Justice Department.”
“We have filed a complaint that they misled the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings; misled the US Government when they claimed to be representing the Government of Guyana.”

Initially, it was said that the Washington-based Public Relations Firm was hired by the Coalition Government of A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) to dispel the “false narratives” being peddled by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) in the international community through its agent, Mercury Public Affairs.

The US Federal document submitted by the firm along with a dossier, spelling out the agreement, explicitly outlines the “Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana” as the client contracting the firm.
The document also listed the Ministry of the Presidency as the agency being represented by the firm along with Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon as the person with whom the company interfaces.

However, days later, President David Granger issued a statement denying that government hired the firm and dismissing allegations that public funds were used in the hire.
Director General Joseph Harmon along with Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan revealed that it was the party who hired the firm, not the government.

The confirmations, Jagdeo noted, amount to a fraudulent filing with the US Department of Justice.
“Harmon has backtracked and said it is not the government; that it is APNU, and Ramjattan said the same thing, so it meant therefore that the FARA filing was fraudulent and was fake.”

He stated that the company illegally distributed the accompanying dossier to several US Congressmen “because they did it on behalf of the Government of Guyana.”
“The Government, through President Granger’s statement, made it clear that he did not hire this company and that he doesn’t know who they are.”