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Feb 23 2019

Source

Sydney James

Following reports of grave mismanagement taking place at the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), an audit going as far back as 2014 will be conducted.

Stabroek News understands that members of the Guyana Police Force’s audit department yesterday met with SOCU head and based on a request, certain documents including receipts for items bought for the office, are to be submitted as part of an audit.

Persons close to the unit have expressed concern that police auditors as opposed to an independent auditor are being used when the unit is a part of the force. Several attempts to reach Police Commissioner Leslie James on the matter yesterday were futile.

On Tuesday, the commissioner had hinted at the strong possibility of him intervening to have whatever issues exist there sorted out. The following day he met with the SOCU head.

The SOCU head turned up at his office for the first time this week, on Thursday.

Sacked UK advisor Dr Sam Sittlington as well as staff of the unit have expressed concerns at the way the unit is being managed by the head. At the top of the list is the spending of the operational funds, which ought to cater for basic things such as the purchase of toiletries and credit for investigators and other staff as well as the current arrangement for the storage of seized cash.

Sittlington had told this newspaper that tensions rose between him and the former army intelligence officer late last year when he began to question the spending of funds set aside for the operation of the unit and requested β€œcertain information.” Sydney James was appointed by then President Donald Ramotar in September 2014.

Sittlington said that from his observations, items such as printers, ink, paper and toiletries, which are essential to the smooth functioning of the office and the comfort of those who work there, were not available. Additionally, he said, investigators were not being given credit for their phones and there was no internet available.

He said he managed to procure a printer for the office but added that for three months there was no ink before he eventually managed to get the required funds from the British High Commission to purchase it.

The decision to audit SOCU will be seen as a major embarrassment as it has undertaken several investigations of government agencies in relation to accountability and fraud.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

yuji22 posted:

SOCU is a joke.

It should be discarded for now and then have a multi party committee appoint an impartial list of candidates for the future operation of the organization AFTER the election. 

PNC can’t even run a cake shop how can they run a country ?

Do you know when SOCU was created and who appointed Leslie James ?

Django
Last edited by Django
yuji22 posted:

I know but is has become a political instrument of the PNC when in fact, the original intent was for SOCU to be an independent body and not a lap cloth for the PNC.

Bai, you need to educate yourself a bit more.

False claims, 

the Organization is an independent body and their function is  to  investigate special crimes.

Django
Last edited by Django
Django posted:
yuji22 posted:

I know but is has become a political instrument of the PNC when in fact, the original intent was for SOCU to be an independent body and not a lap cloth for the PNC.

Bai, you need to educate yourself a bit more.

False claims, 

the Organization is an independent body and their function is  to  investigate special crimes.

LMAO. Another one for the wall of fames ... 

SOCU was established in 2013 as a law enforcement agency to investigate money laundering and terrorism under AML / CFL .. supposedly under authority from the commissioner of police. 

APNU has turn SOCU into a law agency to harassed politicians... the media has all the details to prove this. 

They get paid from the office of the President. 

They can be found at Home affairs office, Office of the President, Basil Williams office, one senior officer is the brother of a minister ( he was put  into position) . 

We saw Ramjattan directed them to arrest opposition MP and the former Prime Minister. 

 

FM
Dave posted:
Django posted:
yuji22 posted:

I know but is has become a political instrument of the PNC when in fact, the original intent was for SOCU to be an independent body and not a lap cloth for the PNC.

Bai, you need to educate yourself a bit more.

False claims, 

the Organization is an independent body and their function is  to  investigate special crimes.

LMAO. Another one for the wall of fames ... 

SOCU was established in 2013 as a law enforcement agency to investigate money laundering and terrorism under AML / CFL .. supposedly under authority from the commissioner of police. 

APNU has turn SOCU into a law agency to harassed politicians... the media has all the details to prove this. 

They get paid from the office of the President. 

They can be found at Home affairs office, Office of the President, Basil Williams office, one senior officer is the brother of a minister ( he was put  into position) . 

We saw Ramjattan directed them to arrest opposition MP and the former Prime Minister. 

 

Question for you do politicians launder money, or they clean as a whistle.Also how about the money, etc.. they pilfer.

Django
Last edited by Django
Django posted:
Dave posted:
Django posted:
yuji22 posted:

I know but is has become a political instrument of the PNC when in fact, the original intent was for SOCU to be an independent body and not a lap cloth for the PNC.

Bai, you need to educate yourself a bit more.

False claims, 

the Organization is an independent body and their function is  to  investigate special crimes.

LMAO. Another one for the wall of fames ... 

SOCU was established in 2013 as a law enforcement agency to investigate money laundering and terrorism under AML / CFL .. supposedly under authority from the commissioner of police. 

APNU has turn SOCU into a law agency to harassed politicians... the media has all the details to prove this. 

They get paid from the office of the President. 

They can be found at Home affairs office, Office of the President, Basil Williams office, one senior officer is the brother of a minister ( he was put  into position) . 

We saw Ramjattan directed them to arrest opposition MP and the former Prime Minister. 

 

Question for you do politicians launder money, or they clean as a whistle.Also how about the money, etc.. they pilfer.

Putting your hands up again. 

Do some homework for the weekend, the answer will be useful for you in future questions.. β€œ educate yourself β€œ  

FM

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