WikiLeaks Cable

By Edward Layne

Former Head of the Presidential Secretariat under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration, Dr Roger

Dr Roger Luncheon

Luncheon has challenged the United States of America (USA) to provide evidence that he had instructed local law enforcement to release Shaheed “Roger” Khan and return spy equipment found in his possession. Cables released by WikiLeaks recently highlighting communication between then US Ambassador in Georgetown Roland Bullen and Washington in 2006, said that the Embassy was convinced that the then Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon had links to Khan, who is currently serving a sentence in the US for drug trafficking “[Roger] Luncheon (President Jagdeo’s deputy) is known to have intervened and ordered the authorities to release Khan and return his equipment as described in para four. Also, eyewitnesses say they have seen Khan leaving the President’s office,” the cable said. But, Dr Luncheon in an exclusive interview with

Guyana Times on Tuesday said that the claims contained in the cable are baseless and challenged the US Embassy officials to produce the evidence to show his involvement. “I can state unequivocally, whether he (Roger Khan) was released or not, I as the Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) in the Office of the President gave no such instructions to anyone.  I would go further to state that my position can be corroborated or not corroborated by the Embassy of the United States of America identifying the person or persons to whom I allegedly gave such instructions or even independently that person or

Former US Ambassador to Guyana Roland Bullen

persons identifying themselves as having been directed by me, Dr Luncheon from the Office of the President to release Mr Khan from the detention by the security forces,” Luncheon said. With regards the instructions to return the spy equipment to Khan, Dr Luncheon said that such a claim is spurious since then Police Commissioner Henry Greene (deceased) in 2009 addressed this matter, by producing the equipment in question. “The second allegation about directing the return of the equipment. That matter, far as I am concerned, was dealt with conclusively  when the then Commissioner of Police in Eve Leary indicated to the press and Guyanese at large that the spy equipment was in the possession  of the Police, the security  services and was in the Eve Leary compound.  So that statement by the then Police Commission for me brought that matter to an end,” Luncheon noted. Greene on August 5, 2009, during a news conference, unveiled the laptop and a transmitter which he said were seized from Khan and two other men, Haroon Yahya and Sean Belfield. Greene explained that the equipment on display was those seized by the Guyana Defence Force on December 4, 2002, at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara. “The electronic equipment was lodged with the Guyana Police Force by Superintendent Frederick Caesar. This is the equipment lodged with the Force,” Greene said. The items that were displayed were a Panasonic laptop and a Cellular Protocol Analyser model CSM 7806 manufactured by Smith-Meyers, as is listed in the cable. Asked about what may have led to the then US Ambassador transmitting such a cable without hard evidence, Dr Luncheon said it is his belief that the US officials in Georgetown were being misled by some with ulterior motives. “I suspect there was some effort by individuals or forces still unknown to link the Office of the President with this entire saga of Roger Khan and his brushes with the law. The Office of the President and I am speaking from the HPS’s perspective, was not involved in this matter and the then President (Bharrat Jagdeo) also indicated his non-involvement. But I suspect that the officials in the American Embassy in Guyana were listening to others, which form the basis for that cable to their head office,” he concluded.