Office of the President pays extra to special GDF, police officers

Mar 03, 2011 News

Dr. Nanda Gopaul

More evidence of improper practices at Office of the President is emerging. Documented evidence seen by this newspaper indicate that certain questionable payments have been approved by the Office of the President, in one case bringing into question a conflict of interest on the part of at least six officers of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force.
The officers are listed as members of a “GSM Tracker Team” which supposedly comes under the direct control of the Office of the President. More controversial is the presence of one member of the team, who is said to be the head.
This Officer was fingered in the alleged torture of a soldier a few years ago.  In one memorandum dated February 1, 2011, from the Permanent Secretary, Office of the President, to Ms. Paula James, Chief Accountant (Ag.), under the subject “Payment of Stipend to GSM Tracker Team, the names of three of the officers are mentioned.
“Please be informed that approval is hereby given for payment of a stipend in the sum of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000.00) each to be effected to the below mentioned members Account, Republic Bank, of the GSM Tracker Team for the month of February, 2011:

1.    Lt. Delrae Mc Lean                                   –    Account # 2747350
2.    ASP Ravendranauth Budhram       –    Account # 261965-8
3.    ASP Leslie James                                      –    Account # 2032993

This amount represents additional responsibilities performed. Kindly charge this expenditure to Subhead 1700100 – Minor Works.”
And another memo sent on the same date, also to the Chief Accountant (Ag) from Dr. Gopaul, authorised payment for three more officers.
“Please be informed that approval is hereby given for payment of a stipend in the sum of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000.00) each to be effected to the below mentioned members Account, Bank of Nova Scotia, of the GSM Tracker Team for the month of February, 2011:

1.    Major Omar Khan                                     –    Account # 10020477
2.    Lt. Raymond Archer                              –    Account # 281835
3.    ASP Royston Andries-Junor            –    Account # 10019346

This amount represents additional responsibilities performed. Kindly charge this expenditure to Subhead 1700100 – Minor Works.”
It is not clear what “additional works” means but this newspaper was told that the GSM Tracker Team is a unit of security officers who intercept telephone conversations and track down vehicles of criminal suspects.
But according to a legal authority, it is highly irregular for Office of the President to provide a stipend to officers of the state security apparatus.
“These officers are paid by the state and should not be compromised by the Office of the President,” the legal official told Kaieteur News.
And in another memorandum from the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the President, payment is approved for the rental of a property for one of the officers of the unit.
“Please be informed that approval has been given for payment to be effected to             Mr. Louis Crawford in the sum of one hundred and eighty-two thousand, seven hundred dollars ($182,700 which is equivalent to US$900.00 (R.O.E. US $1 = G $203).  This amount represents the cost of rental for the period 28th January, 2011 to 27th February, 2011, for Major Omar Khan, Guyana Defence Force, for a property situated at Lot 254 Meadow Brook Gardens, Georgetown. Kindly charge this expenditure to Programme 011, Head Office Administration, Subcomponent 6241 – Rental of Buildings.”
Several efforts to contact Dr. Gopaul were unsuccessful although his secretary collected telephone numbers and promised to have him return the calls.