SOCU’s probes involve $1.5 Trillion in alleged misappropriated state funds

May 03, 2017 News

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… 30 files sent to DPP and police legal adviser, none returned

By Brushell Blackman
When the APNU+AFC coalition government took office in May 2015, a number of forensic audits of government and other state institutions were ordered after the ruling administration felt that misappropriation of state funds were

rife under the previous People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration.
Of the audits that were done, 19 were sent to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) after evidence of malfeasance was uncovered and warranted criminal investigations.
According to a source, SOCU is investigating in excess of a staggering G$1.5 trillion in misappropriated state funds that were found when the audits of the 19 government entities were conducted. These monies are suspected to have been laundered, fraudulently converted, embezzled and inappropriately used to execute developmental works by a number of public officials when they were in office.
The source contends that the figure is a conservative one, and that it may be much more.
Kaieteur News has learnt that the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Cricket World Cup (CWC), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the alleged lucrative gold smuggling trade account for the majority of the misappropriated funds.
Although this state of affairs has come to the attention of SOCU agents who have been investigating many of these cases for months, little has been achieved so far. In fact, SOCU has not charged anyone in relation to the alleged skullduggery.
The source said that SOCU has sent 30 files to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) and the Police Legal Adviser (PLA) for recommendation and advice, and to date, not a single file has been returned to that entity.
The lack of legal guidance has now resulted in SOCU having to wait before moving forward with many of these cases which they have completed investigating. Additionally, the unit cannot follow-up on any of the cases that are with the legal advisers, since it is against protocol, and they can only await the necessary advice, whenever that is furnished.
Kaieteur News has also learnt that the work of the special prosecutors has been called into question, and it is believed that SOCU might not be pleased with the lack of assistance from these officials in building their cases.
It was one month ago that SOCU in spectacular fashion arrested and summoned a number of former government officials to answer for their hand in suspected skullduggery in public office.
Former president Bharrat Jagdeo and former head of the Presidential secretariat Roger Luncheon were among those persons arrested by SOCU in relation to the National Investment and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) investigations.
Investigators were trying to ascertain if officials that bought house lots at the controversial Pradoville 2 Scheme did so knowing that those house lots were well below the market value or whether officials attached to the Ministry of Housing at the time were at fault for such a shortcoming.
To date, nothing has been done in relation to this investigation that officially commenced almost two months ago.
Additionally there were forensic audits done at the National Communications Network (NCN) and the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC). Those audits that were ordered by the ruling administration and a number of glaring irregularities were found and those audits were passed onto SOCU to investigate.
To date nothing has been heard of the NCN investigation although it was found that two senior officials pressured auxiliary staff to adjust payments of a substantial amount.
Then there was the investigation into fraud at the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and according to Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma some of the most glaring irregularities were found when an audit of that entity was conducted.
Although the former head of GRDB was called in for questioning by SOCU, the public still awaits something meaningful from that investigation.
The 19 forensic audits that were referred to SOCU are: NICIL; the Guyana Marketing Corporation; Cricket World Cup; Pradoville 2; the Guyana Rice Development Board; Guyana Power and Light; Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agricultural Development Association; Guyana Office for Investment; the Hydro met office; National Communications Network; Marriott Hotel; Guyana Energy Agency; Guyana Oil Company/Guyana Energy Agency; Guyana Gold Board; National Frequency Management Unit; One Laptop programme; E-Governance; Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and the Ministry of Legal Affairs (Law Reports).

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