Hundreds of vehicles which entered Guyana via Lethem/Brazil border, disappeared without a trace

Hundreds of vehicles which entered Guyana via Lethem/Brazil border, disappeared without a trace – PAC hears

Apr 06, 2022 News

A vehicular checkpoint at the Brazil/Lethem border.

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – The Auditor General’s 2018 report has highlighted a disturbing trend of vehicles entering Guyana via the Lethem/Brazil border crossing and disappearing without a trace.
The issue was brought up before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) when a team from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), led by Commissioner General Godfrey Statia, presented before the committee last week.
According to the AG’s 2018 report, an examination of the incoming and outgoing foreign vehicles and passengers traversing the border area revealed that there were 29,689 foreign vehicles entering Guyana and only 28,933 vehicles exiting Guyana resulting in 766 vehicles not exiting Guyana as at the time of audit in August 2019.
Similarly, in 2017, the report noted that there were 30,669 foreign vehicles entering Guyana and only 29,023 vehicles exiting Guyana, resulting in 1,646 not exiting Guyana.
Responding to queries from the PAC, Statia, who is Head of the Revenue Authority, explained that the GRA has since moved to install a close circuit television camera at the point of entry so as to have a record of the licence plate of vehicles entering Guyana via the crossing.
Statia noted, too, that the police are often notified of the vehicles which fail to exit. He explained that what usually happens is that the vehicles are stolen and, therefore, the licence plate affixed is identified as fake. Once seized, the GRA boss said that the vehicles are taken back to Brazil and handed over to the authorities.
Further, he said efforts are now in place for Customs to conduct periodic surveillance exercises of the Multipurpose Complex and the Township of Lethem to ensure that foreign incoming and outgoing vehicles are exiting the Guyana/Brazil border from 7am to 7pm.
Meanwhile, the AG report also pointed out that of the 63 foreign vehicles entering Guyana in 2018, 35 were in transit to Suriname.
In 2017, 29 foreign vehicles were in transit to Suriname. Evidence was seen where 11 of these vehicles exited, resulting in 18 vehicles not accounted for.
Statia had explained that efforts are now being made to update the spreadsheet as was seen by the auditors that was not previously maintained in a timely manner for foreign registered vehicles that entered Guyana from Brazil through port Lethem, and are said to depart Guyana for Suriname. The updated spreadsheet is expected to be sent to the supervisor of the Customs Department at Corriverton, Berbice for reconciliation.