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Political intervention overturns GRA decision
Several Senior Management Officials of the Guyana Revenue Authority are dissatisfied with the involvement of Office of the President to have Mohamed Razack, the second in charge of Berbice Anti Smuggling Squad (BASS), remain at that location despite an order from the Board to remove him after an investigation proved that he was the mastermind of a plot to set up the Head of Berbice Customs Operations.
A senior official said that last December, Razack, Senior Monitoring Officer, BASS, submitted a written report to the Head Regional Integrated Tax Office claiming that a known businessman had imported 40 cases of assorted liquor From Suriname.
He however claimed that the businessman prepared Customs documents for only 19 cases and withheld the declaration for 21 cases.
Mr. Razack, in his report to Head IRTO, claimed that the businessman gave a statement that he was advised by Head of Customs Operations to prepare the declaration for 19 cartons. The matter was brought to the attention of the Commissioner General Khurshid Sattaur, and Deputy Commissioner General Clement Sealey.
As a result of the Commissioner General’s instruction an investigation was launched into the allegation.
A joint investigation by Law Enforcement and Investigation Division and Internal Affairs revealed that Mr. Razack deliberately masterminded a plot to set up the Head of the Corriverton Customs to have him dismissed from the organization.
It was proven that Mr. Razack wrote the statement and induced the businessman to sign.
According to the Official, the Head of Corriverton Customs Operation was deliberately set up by Mr. Razack as a means of payback since he refused to cover up a corrupt activity which resulted in three Customs Officers and one BASS rank being sent on no pay leave.
The four officers were sent on leave last year after an investigation revealed that they facilitated the importation of 250 cartons of cigarettes without collecting duties and other relevant taxes totaling more than $17 million.
The Board had ordered that the Head of Customs and the Second in charge of BASS be removed from Berbice but since then only the Head of Customs was transferred to a location in Georgetown. Razack remains at that location through political intervention.
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