Latest update May 13th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 13, 2014 News
– Royston King
A formal request has been made to the police for an investigation to be launched into allegations of corruption at the City Constabulary Department.
This is according to Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Royston King, who came to the defence of the Chief Constable, Andrew Foo.
Foo had been accused by Town Clerk (Ag) Carol Sooba of failing to provide an inventory on missing stocks in his department.
Sooba reportedly claimed that repeated calls were made to the Chief Constable, after a rank, Lance Corporal Compton Joseph, who was being sought in connection with the missing money, committed suicide
Sooba claimed that Foo, the only other person besides Joseph to have access to the stores of the Department, was asked to undertake a complete inventory, but it never happened.
However, in response, King accused Sooba of attempting to besmirch the character of the Chief Constable, who, the PRO claimed “continues to do his best despite extremely harsh work conditions.”
“Ms Sooba ought to know that the Chief Constable has already initiated action pertinent to an investigation, which initially resulted in the suspect absconding and would have further issued instructions for his apprehension. In addition, recognizing the challenges facing the Constabulary, the Chief Constable had made a formal request to the Commissioner of Police for assistance with the issue,” King revealed.
During a recent press conference, Sooba noted that Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker requested an investigation into the City Constabulary Department, after monies went missing.
She said that the Minister had initially called for an investigation via the Office of the Auditor General and the Commissioner of Police.
Sooba stated that based on their knowledge and legal background, the City Constabulary cannot investigate itself. She said that the City Constabulary Department, like several other departments within the council, is a part of the administration, and she instructed that an inventory be taken to facilitate investigations.
The acting Town Clerk requested the department’s record of the arms, ammunition, uniforms, court exhibits, “jewellery” and bail monies.
“To date we have not received any information on the inventory,” the Town Clerk said.
Sooba said that a report from the Legal Affairs Committee subsequently revealed that approximately $2.1 million of bail monies were also missing from the stores.
“Clearly such large amounts of money ought not to be at the constabulary …money should be handed over to the treasury department. This was decided upon a long time ago,” Sooba emphasised.
Listen how to run an oil country
May 13, 2024
GCB T10 Blast Semi-finals… Kaieteur Sports – The semi-finals of the GCB T10 Blast will get underway today, barring inclement weather as the final four teams look to book spots in the...Kaieteur News – The PPP is engaging in myth-making in seeking to perpetuate the narrative that it is now an ideologically... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Is it ever justifiable for journalism to fan the flames of geopolitical tension? This question arises... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]