Latest update November 22nd, 2024 1:00 AM
Feb 24, 2011 News
– expresses fear for her life after threats by senior govt. official
Marcelle Joseph, who was sacked by Office of the President on suspicion of leaking information to Kaieteur News, has fled to the United States of America, claiming that she fears for her life.
Joseph arrived in the United States last Sunday, leaving her four-year-old son and other relatives behind in Guyana.
The woman claimed that she had received threats by senior government officials who accused her of furnishing Kaieteur News with documents related to the controversial purchase of 20 laptop computers by the Office of the President.
In a video clip carried by the Guyanaobervernews.org internet site, Joseph said, “I, Marcelle Joseph, state that I am now in the United States of America and I have left my home country, Guyana, to be here because I’m fearful for my life as a result of threats I received from a senior Government official in Guyana.”
Joseph declined to name the government official at this time but indicated that she is convinced that he is powerful enough to carry out the threat on her life as well as that of her relatives here in Guyana.
“Of course I have to be afraid for my relatives back home. Knowing the individual, I know how they think and I know what they are capable of doing,” she stated.
Joseph said that she does not feel too good about the decision she has taken to flee Guyana although it was absolutely necessary.
“How does one leave her four-year-old child behind just to get out of Guyana? How does one come to grips with that?” she said, explaining that she was in the US to relax and think about her next move, which will include exposing all that she knows about the secret dealings within the Office of the President.
“When the time arrives I will give a full statement about that but at this time I’m a bit hesitant, but it will come out sooner or later,” Joseph added.
According to the sacked employee, based on what she knows, the information given by the administration does not add up.
In an earlier interview carried on the same online station, Joseph, a Technical Research Officer working directly under Permanent Secretary Dr. Nanda Gopaul, had accused her employers of getting rid of her because “she probably knew too much”. She had denied any involvement in the leak of the information to this newspaper and is still puzzled over her dismissal, especially since her contract would have expired in 2013.
“This whole thing makes me think, ‘what the hell did I do wrong?’”
According to Joseph, she did not even know about the Kaieteur News publication of the receipts.
It was only when someone brought it to her attention that she checked the newspapers and saw copies of the receipts with her signature as well as that of a cleaner who had also signed to receiving the lap tops.
“There was no proper investigation, nothing to determine how the leak came about.”
According to Joseph, since her dismissal she has received support from a number of persons who indicated that they were surprised that something like that could happen to her since she was described as an honest and hardworking employee.
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