May 16, 2013
Guyana power agency fires workers after polygraphs
GUYANA’S state-owned power company has fired 21 employees after they failed polygraph tests given because of suspicions they had accepted bribes.
The Guyana Energy Agency said Thursday that those fired include workers who inspect fuel in vessels and trucks to determine whether it was smuggled in from neighbouring Venezuela or Trinidad. The agency had fired nearly a dozen other workers in recent months for similar reasons.
Opposition parties and labour unions criticised the move, saying lie detector tests are not recognised by courts and have been proven to be unreliable.
Other government agencies in the South American country, including the police department, administer polygraph tests to root out corruption.
— AP