Two police ranks under close arrest

Dec 27, 2009 News

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Vehicle seizures from Desrey Fox’s home:

Two ranks of the drug enforcement unit of the police at Lethem have been placed under close arrest for an illegal car seized from the home of former Minister within the Ministry of Education, Desrey Fox.
A Lethem resident has also reportedly been questioned on how the vehicle entered since no records could be found of it entering Guyana in the first place.
A senior police official yesterday said that progress is being made as investigators try to piece the case together.
Two vehicles, suspected to have been brought into Guyana illegally, were seized on December 16 from Fox’s Campbellville home, hours after her funeral.
The two vehicles, a silver Toyota Hilux and a white Chevrolet Corsa, were said to have been brought from Brazil and then taken to Georgetown.
A well-placed source, close to the investigation, disclosed that one of the vehicles, the Chevrolet, was brought to the city using the number plates of a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Several officers of the enforcement arm of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) along with police reportedly descended on Fox’s home at Echilibar Villas, Campbellville for the seizures.
Fox, Minister within the Ministry of Education, died from trauma and other complications last week after a vehicular accident.
Terrence Fox, a son of the Minister, reportedly confirming the seizure, explained that the Toyota Hilux was left at the home over a month ago by the driver of a minibus, Juliano D’Aguiar, who died in a horrific smash-up on the Lethem Road earlier this month.
However, D’Aguiar’s mother denied that her son had any such vehicle.
Regarding the Chevrolet, Fox said that it was brought to the city by persons who came for the funeral but has not been picked up as yet.
Yesterday, official sources said that police ranks allegedly gave conflicting statements to a number of checkpoints on the Lethem Road to Georgetown and police were tipped off that the car was heading to Georgetown. As a matter of fact, roadblocks were set up but the car had already slipped by.
Sources close to the investigation said the seizures by GRA were prompted after GRA officials discovered that the Chevrolet car bore number plates that belonged to a pickup of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs.
Kaieteur News understands that on December 14, two men who introduced themselves as members of the drug enforcement unit (name given) and who were stationed at Lethem, told GRA officials along the Lethem road that they were escorting the car to Georgetown.
However, officials became suspicious after they saw the back number plate of the Chevrolet was “too clean”.
Reports were made to the Georgetown office where an investigation was launched.
Commissioner-General of GRA, Khurshid Sattaur, would “not confirm or deny” the seizures to Kaieteur News and there has not been a statement so far.
However, the vehicles were taken to the GRA’s Auction Site, Good Hope, East Coast Demerara.
GRA had announced that it has discovered numerous cases of false documents across the country being used to register vehicles.
And a great number of these vehicles came from as close as Suriname and Brazil and were left in Guyana illegally.
Sattaur had said that from estimation, there could be as many as 500 illegally registered vehicles in the country.
The discovery came as the tax regulatory body continues an operation to automate its system of the sale and issuance of motor vehicle licences.
According to GRA, in an advertisement in Kaieteur News warning guilty vehicle owners, “the updating of our database has given rise to the discovery of numerous false documents which were used to support licences previously purchased at some locations.”
In the cases it found, GRA noted that there is evidence that the motor vehicles have not been properly registered or transferred.
“The Guyana Revenue Authority is therefore encouraging owners and persons who have knowledge of; or are in possession of such illegally utilised motor vehicles, to come forward voluntarily in order that these vehicles can be properly registered.”
GRA warned that if any vehicle is found to be at fault during enforcement activities of the body, the failure to adhere to the warning of the advertisement will result in severe fines and penalties being imposed.
It is not an unknown thing that the Licence and Revenue Department arm of GRA, had over the years been contending with all kinds of attempts to evade duties and taxes from GRA.
And the GRA should know.
Some of these vehicles were brought in from Suriname and Brazil; were given a few weeks to stay and should have returned to the originating country.

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