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Gov’t must explain involvement of dead GDF Sgt in SOCU surveillance -PPP
The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has called on the government to clarify the circumstances
PPP General Secretary, Clement Rohee
surrounding the death of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sergeant Robert Pyle, stating that questions have to be answered about what it termed the “unauthorized use” of army ranks to conduct covert civilian surveillance.
According to the police’s version of what unfolded, Pyle and his wife, Stacy, were in motorcar PRR 9118, chasing another vehicle during a “Special Operation” on Wednesday evening, when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into an oncoming Canter truck on Carifesta Avenue.
Police had stated that Pyle was part of a team that was carrying out the operation in the vicinity of the residence of the embattled Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL), Winston Brassington.
However, PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee yesterday labeled this tragedy as an example of the “reckless misuse” of security and intelligence officers. He declared that the use of Pyle in the surveillance exercise was for “political purposes.”
“This particular incident is a clear example of the reckless misuse of the security and intelligence community in this country for political purposes,” Rohee said.
He demanded that Government of Guyana issue a public statement to explain the surveillance of Brassington’s residence and the use of GDF ranks to conduct civilian surveillance.
Rohee also called on Government to clarify who gave the directions to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) to conduct the surveillance of civilian targets. The General Secretary also called on the administration
Nurse Stacy Pyle
to clarify the role of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) in issuing directives to SOCU.
“(And finally) why was the spouse of the GDF rank in the vehicle at the time he was on a covert mission?” he queried. “The above-named government officials (must) answer these questions post haste in order to clear the air on this sordid affair which resulted in the death of a serving GDF rank, his spouse and a truck driver.”
“So there are two issues that arise here,” Rohee, a former Minister of Home Affairs, stated. “Surveillance of civilians by GDF ranks, when it should have been ranks of the special branch. And who gave the direction through SOCU, to a serving GDF rank, to respond to a SOCU call for surveillance.”
Rohee was reminded of the Criminal Investigation Agency at Castellani House and the role of the army in its operations. In response, he made it clear that the Defence Board at Cabinet had approved of the agency, while there was no clarity over who sanctioned the mission that cost Pyle his life.
“You need to make distinctions between overt and covert activities,” he said. “Overt activities are usually legal and authorized activities by state government employees. Covert activities leave (more) questions than answers.”
In a Facebook post dated December 31, 2015, the Guyana Defence Force had listed Pyle as belonging to the Military Police department.
The accident claimed the lives of the driver of the Canter truck, Linden Eastman, 62, called ‘Smallie’;
GDF Sergeant,
Robert Pyle
Robert Pyle, a Guyana Defence Force Sergeant, who was driving the car, and his wife Stacy Pyle, 29, a nurse attached to the Woodlands Hospital.
The Pyles were from the village of Paradise, East Coast Demerara. Although the victims appeared to have died on the spot, they were officially pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital minutes after they were pulled from the two wrecks.
Eyewitnesses said that the car in which the Pyles were travelling, was heading east. It was overtaking another vehicle when it ended up into the path of the oncoming Canter truck.
To avoid a head on collision, the driver of the car swerved, taking the impact on the left side of his car.
Since Mrs. Pyle was sitting in the front passenger seat, she took the brunt of the impact, and it took the efforts of firefighters to free her from the wreck.
Firefighters also had to use special equipment to free Eastman from the Canter truck.
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