(Kaieteur News) – A pool of money so large that it triples the size of Guyana’s national debt has been pocketed by U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil for its investments in the Stabroek Block, but the country is yet to ensure that the company did not try to inflate any of those expenses paid for with the nation’s oil.

It was recently revealed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of Exxon, Darren Woods that the company has recovered a staggering US$55B using Guyana’s oil. This accounts for all of the company’s investment and operational costs according to him.

Oil-rich Guyana is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that it checks the expenses incurred by the operator to ensure the prices it paid for goods and services met industry benchmarks and aligned with costs that can be recovered in keeping with the terms of the 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).