Several questioned as rejected rice containers return from Panama

Oct 25, 2018 Peeping Tom

The containers of returned parboiled rice at the wharf

Several persons have been questioned and four containers are being checked minutely on a city wharf as investigations continue into how thousands of tonnes of rice managed to be rejected by Panama.
According to official sources, four containers were returned from Panama recently. They are in the custody of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), a police department that focuses on money laundering and other fraud cases.
Several persons have reportedly given statements, including rice miller, Dr. Turhane Doerga; Jinnah Rahman, a farmer and activist; officials of the Guyana Rice Development Board; and at least one representative of TechnoMills which claims that its labels were used without authorization.
SOCU’s head, Sydney James, would only say, yesterday, that the investigations were progressing.
The case has millers and farmers nervous.
Panama is one of the better rice markets but its future for Guyana was thrown into jeopardy when 33 containers of what is supposed to be white rice were found to contain parboiled rice.
Panama immediately rejected the rice which was destined for the poor in that Spanish-speaking county.
Earlier this month, two officials- Dr. Turhane Doerga and Rahman- of the Guyana Rice Producers Association Action Committee met with investigators of SOCU at the Camp Road headquarters, to file a complaint.
According to 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.

Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder

“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.
Doerga had 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.”
The Panamanian authorities in checking other containers found that the rice appeared to be of the 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. However, the bags had TechnoMills labels.
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.
There has been no word from the Agriculture Ministry on the matter and GRDB has itself not issued an official statement.
There were accusations of collusion involving GRDB staffers as there are stringent checks on the quality of rice before containers and shipments are allowed to leave Guyana.
Present at the mills while containers are packed are officials of GRDB and even Customs Officers.
Following the news of the rejected rice, there were calls for the sacking of senior GRDB officials and the resignation of the Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder.

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