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Top Cop gets formal complaint to investigate corruption allegations against VP Jagdeo
The letter sent to the Top Cop
Kaieteur News – Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken is now in possession of a formal complaint to investigate corruption allegations against Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The police chief was written to by a local organisation called Institute for Action Against Discrimination (IFAAD) to commence investigations and was sent nine days after the government told United Nations (UN) Human rights Committee CCPR that it never investigated Jagdeo because no official police report was made against him.
In the letter also copied to the Director Public Prosecution, Shalimar Ali Hack SC. and signed by former Georgetown Mayor, Ubraj Narine, the organisation requested that a formal investigation be launched into allegations of corruption made against Jagdeo by Vice News.
“The evidence presented in their report suggests that high level officials may be engaging in illicit activities, which must be thoroughly investigated to maintain public trust and uphold the rule of law,” the IFAAD said while urging the Commissioner to ensure that the investigation be done transparently and without any obstruction.
The IFAAD added, “Once the investigation has been completed, we kindly request that you share all the findings with the public,” IFAAD said while calling on Hicken to take the appropriate legal action if the allegations made are “substantiated” with evidence.
On Monday March 19, US Candidate to the Human Rights Committee for the years 2023- 2026, Professor Laurence Helfer grilled the government’s representative at its 140th session, Gail Teixeira, the country’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, for answers on its shortcomings when it comes to transparency and investigating allegations of corrupt practices.
In posing questions about alleged corruption in Guyana Helfer said that the human rights committee understands that the current Guyana Government had dismantled the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) when it took office and in 2020, in response to concerns about its effectiveness and asked which agency is now responsible for recovering stolen state assets.
He then followed up by pointing out that the Human Rights Committee reiterates its “request for information on measures to ensure prompt and effective investigations into allegations of corruption and the prosecution of perpetrators” before stating “The committee is aware of public frustration regarding for example the failure to investigate reports of corruption by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo”.
Helfer did not say what alleged corrupt practices Jagdeo is accused of but Teixeira in her response spoke of a Vice News article that accused him of using a Chinese businessman, Zhi Rong Su to “cash bribes for government contracts”. She said, “…there was no follow-up because there was no police report made by Vice News or anybody else and so police cannot investigate without some form of report or complaint.” “However, the VP has answered this issue publicly several times in the same media that has carried these reports”, Teixeira added.
In 2022, Jagdeo’s former friend and tenant, Zhi Rong Su implicated him (Jagdeo) in bribery and corruption. Su had disclosed to VICE News reporters posing as Chinese investors that Jagdeo took “cash bribes” for multimillion dollar contracts and that he (Su) was his middle man. VICE News on July 7, 2022 premiered a documentary with its findings. In the documentary, Jagdeo called Su “a good friend of ours” and his tenant during an interview with one of the VICE News’ reporters.
- Bharrat Jagdeo, Clifton Hicken, Corruption Allegations, Institute for Action Against Discrimination (IFAAD), VICE News
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