Giftland OfficeMax's Attempted OLPF Fraud Exposed!!!

Lenovo has confirmed to the Secretariat of the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project that neither Giftland OfficeMax nor its partner Hong Kong Dianshijin (HK DS) is an authorized Lenovo agent in Guyana or in the Central America and Caribbean region.

In a press release issued yesterday, Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir said that the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) Secretariat on Thursday received correspondence from Domingo Alonso, the Lenovo Territory Manager for Central America and the Caribbean, who indicated that neither of the two companies is an authorized reseller or distributor of Lenovo products in Guyana or in any country within the region.

Nadir, who has ministerial responsibility for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project, during a press conference on Tuesday, had promised to check with Lenovo on the authenticity of two certificates submitted by Giftland indicating that its Laptop supplier HK DS was an authorized Lenovo agent.

“I also certify that neither Giftland OfficeMax nor HK DS have any contracts or agreements with Lenovo that would state that they were authorized by Lenovo to participate in the OLPF or any other business in the name of Lenovo in the Central America and Caribbean region,” Alonso was quoted as saying. A copy of the correspondence sent to the OLPF Secretariat was sent to this newspaper.

Contacted yesterday for comment, President of Giftland OfficeMax Roy Beepat expressed surprise at Alonso’s statement and said that his company will now need confirmation from the distributor Hong Kong Dianshijin (HK DS), the company with which Giftland made the deal. “I’m quite shocked because their [Alonso’s] statement seems definitive,” Beepat said. According to him, HK DS had promised to provide him with the original certificates from Beijing.