Whatever happened to this matter?

Sep 18, 2026 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

---

(Kaieteur News) – There is something deeply troubling about the driver’s-licence saga in Guyana. And it is not simply the question of whether a few police officers may have done something wrong. It is the possibility that people are driving on our roads who were never properly tested, never properly certified and, perhaps, never properly qualified to be behind the wheel.

The latest episode surfaced in August, when ranks of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) reportedly intercepted a police rank attached to the Licensing and Certifying Office at Springlands Police Station in Corentyne. It was said that a search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered a haversack containing 94 competency letters for different classes of vehicles, together with $564,000 in cash and US$40.

The matter became even more disturbing when investigators reportedly searched the licensing office and found two additional competency books containing 61 entries. According to the reports, some of the persons named in those books had received certificates of competence even though they had not completed the required practical examinations. The Guyana Police Force confirmed that SOCU had secured records and documents from the office and was conducting a comprehensive examination of its operations, records and transactions. The Force said the investigation was ongoing.

That was in August, and now the obvious question is: whatever happened to the investigation?

Was anyone charged? Were the 94 competency letters examined? Were the 61 entries investigated? Were the people whose names appeared in the books called in and questioned? And what happened to the money that was reportedly found in the vehicle?

There were also reports of allegations made during questioning about a wider network involving other police ranks, including claims of substantial sums allegedly being paid as bribes. Those allegations have not been independently verified, and the Police Force has not publicly confirmed whether senior officers were implicated.

But this is precisely why the public needs an update.

This is not a minor administrative matter. It goes to the heart of road safety and the integrity of the system by which Guyanese are authorised to operate potentially lethal machines on public roads. And this is not the first time we have heard such a story. In April, it was reported that there was a sting operation in which someone was arrested after allegedly demanding $100,000 to arrange a driver’s licence for someone who had not taken the written or practical examination. He allegedly agreed to accept a lower sum upfront, and the marked money was reportedly found in his possession after the transaction. That case too was said to be under investigation.

Then there was the broader licensing investigation announced by the Government, which is potentially even more significant than the individual cases. In April, President Irfaan Ali said a review had uncovered glaring inconsistencies between those who passed the theoretical examination, those who obtained practical certification and those who ultimately received licences.)

The numbers were sufficiently troubling that, in May, the Government announced that approximately 1,600 letters were being prepared for motorists as part of an effort to determine how they had acquired their licences. If a person can obtain a driver’s licence without passing the necessary examinations, the problem does not end with the person who corruptly issued the licence. That person eventually gets into a motorcar, drives onto a public road and becomes a danger to every pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist and other driver sharing that road.

We already have a serious road-safety problem in Guyana, with dangerous driving, speeding and reckless behaviour contributing to deaths and injuries. It would be particularly tragic if some of the people involved in these incidents were operating vehicles without ever having demonstrated that they possessed the basic competence required to drive safely. The public therefore deserves to know whether the licensing investigation is progressing or whether it has quietly disappeared into that great Guyanese institution known as “the investigation is ongoing.”

More importantly, if people were issued competency certificates without taking the required tests, those licences cannot simply remain valid while everybody waits patiently for the paperwork to catch up. The authorities must determine who obtained licences irregularly, whether those licences remain in circulation and what action will be taken. This is about whether the licence in a driver’s wallet actually means what it is supposed to mean: that the holder has satisfied the legal requirements and demonstrated the ability to operate a vehicle safely. The authorities have said that they are determined to clean up the system, and that is welcome. But a clean-up must ultimately be measured by convictions where offences are proven, disciplinary action where misconduct is established, cancellation of improperly obtained licences and a licensing system that the public can trust.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

---

• Peeping Tom

---