SOCU begins probe into Panama rice fiasco

Oct 11, 2018 News

Authorities with a sample of the bad rice in Panama.

The police probe into how thousands of bags of the wrong rice ended up in Panama has begun.

Yesterday, two officials of the Guyana Rice Producers Association Action Committee met with investigators of the police’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) at the Camp Road headquarters.

According to spokesperson of the committee, Dr. Turhane Doerga, the meeting meant that an official probe has begun in earnest.

“We just came from SOCU offices where we met investigators and other senior officials. You will recall, as you reported, that the committee filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leslie James, recently. You will recall that it was sent to the Crime Chief to determine the merits of the complaint. Well, we are here now,” Doerga disclosed.

He was accompanied by another committee official, Jinnah Rahman. Both are outspoken activists in the rice industry. Doerga himself is a retired miller, and former chief of Alesie Rice Mills.

“We briefed the officials on what happened and made it clear that it is a serious situation.”

SOCU’s investigators will now be awaiting the arrival of 20 containers of the rice which was rejected by Panama’s port authorities because the grains did not meet specifications according to the contract signed between the Guyana Rice Development Board and the government of Panama.

“We want to assist the investigators and offered to lend advice. We stressed that from indications there was fraudulent use of labels belonging to another miller on the rice. That miller as you know had denied he gave authorization for GRDB or others to use their labels.”
Pressed, Doerga said that from indications, investigators will be looking closely at the roles played by the various actors, including from the Guyana Revenue Authority and GRDB.

“There will be questions asked and it cannot be a mistake that we sent out 80,000 bags of wrong rice to Panama.”

Almost two months ago, Guyana’s most lucrative rice market- Panama- suffered a major challenge after authorities there rejected a number of containers at the ports. It was found, from samples, that the rice was not in conformity to the agreement Guyana signed.

The authorities in checking other containers found that the rice appeared to be of the same wrong quality.

In all, more than 30 containers of rice were rejected.

GRDB, after staying quiet for weeks, admitted that something had happened.

The rice was reportedly sent by Cayume Hakh and Sons rice mills.

GRDB has to send back a new shipment.

Hakh was ordered to halt further shipments. The miller will have to stand the cost of the containers to be shipped back.

GRDB will take custody of the containers and conduct an audit.

On the bags of rice, officials said that they found labels belonging to Techno Mills, another miller from Eccles, East Bank Demerara.
Techno Mills denied it gave the labels to anyone.

There has been no word from the Agri. Ministry on the matter and GRDB has itself not issued an official statement.

There were accusations of collusions involving GRDB staffers as there are stringent checks on the quality of rice before containers and shipments are allowed to leave Guyana.

Following the news of the rejected rice, there were calls for the sacking of senior GRDB officials and the resignation of the Agri., Minister, Noel Holder.

A separate complaint is to be filed with the Guyana Revenue Authority.

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