GEA investigator alleges faulty arrest

Dec 06, 2015 News

… wants better representation by the agency
A Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) officer is calling for better representation from the agency after a sting operation backfired and ended in his arrest.
The officer, Bernard Rodrigues, said that he received information that a man was in possession of fuel markers from the GEA and decided to investigate the matter. He stated that he informed one of his superiors of his intentions to conduct the sting operation and obtained the go ahead.
He said that on Thursday he approached the man, who was believed to be in possession of the alleged stolen markers, and posed as a buyer. He said the man revealed that he did have some markers but he would have to “go into his stash” to obtain it. Thus, they rescheduled to meet two days later.
“On the Saturday I went to the man’s place and he gave me a bottle of marker as a sample and he told me that it was worth $1.3 million,” he said, adding that he then informed the man that they should go to his boss, who wanted the marker, in Parika.
“I had already called a senior police officer and he said he would send backup,” Rodrigues related. He said that when they were nearing the Parika Police Station he decided to confront the man about the stolen marker and that he was about to turn him into the police.
It was then, he said, the man, who is a known smuggler, escaped.
He said he took the sample of the marker to the GEA and his supervisor carried it to the lab to be tested; it was confirmed to be fuel marker. He said further that he then gave a statement about what had transpired.
“It was then the man started calling me and threatening to kill me and my family,” he said, adding, “Then this Monday I was called to the CEO office and two police ranks were there. They questioned me about what had happened on Saturday and I gave them a statement but they said they didn’t believe what I was saying.”
He stated that he was informed that the man, who was in possession of the markers, had filed a report at a police station against him. The man was alleging that he, Rodrigues, forced a bottle of marker into his hand and took a picture, warning him that he had to pay up some $1.3 M or else he will expose him.
Rodrigues said the policemen arrested him and took him to a police station, where he was further questioned and detained for several hours.
“I don’t know anything about this…I was doing my job and the GEA, its CEO and its two lawyers did nothing to help me when I was arrested. The agency did not listen to anything I had to say,” he said.
He questioned the integrity of the agency when it comes to representing the interest of its employees.
The matter is currently engaging the interest of the police.
In 2011, three GEA employees were charged with burglary. They allegedly broke and entered a GEA facility and subsequently stole a substantial amount of fuel marker.

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GEA investigator alleges faulty arrest

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