President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Tuesday signalled that widespread disciplinary action is imminent, declaring that “a lot of people will be sent home” as the government finalises a sweeping audit into illegally obtained driver’s licences.
The President made the disclosure during an engagement with five women journalists and students, where he confirmed that the verification process, which cross‑checks every licence issued by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) against exam records, has now been completed.
“Early in January, you will see a lot of people being sent home,” Dr. Ali said, describing the findings as “alarming.”
According to him, the audit compared all licences issued with the number of candidates who passed the theoretical and practical exams. The results, he said, show clear evidence of fraud.
“You can’t go on to the practical if you don’t pass the theory. But guess how we were able to achieve that?” he asked. “Because the exam is now digitised. You write the exam electronically, and the results are done electronically. It’s reducing that human bias.”
The President’s latest comments follow his announcement earlier this month that individuals who obtained licences without passing the required exams would be given six weeks to surrender themselves and restart the process.
At that time, he revealed that the technology‑driven audit had already exposed glaring mismatches, including cases where far more practical certificates were issued than the number of people who passed the theory test.
Investigators also uncovered instances where GRA issued more licences than the number of candidates who legitimately passed both exams.
The President reiterated that authorities have already compiled the full list of individuals who advanced through the system without meeting the legal requirements. He stressed that accountability will extend beyond applicants.
“That is the only way we can beat this corruption. We have to prosecute all parties involved.”
