NICIL probe…SOCU, SARU officials travel to Florida to talk to Brassington

Jun 27, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....talk-to-brassington/

Two of Guyana’s top investigators are set to travel early this week to Florida to talk to Winston Brassington, a former executive of the former administration whose role in a number of state deals has come under the microscope.

Well-placed sources said yesterday that head of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), Aubrey Retemyer, along with Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James, of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), will be on the trip.

Brassington, former head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and its sister arm, the Privatisation Unit, is said to be living in Florida, where he operates a pallet company.

Brassington reportedly left the country in late 2016, months after the Coalition Government took office. During his time in the aforementioned designations, the official oversaw a number of transactions and deals, worth billions of dollars, that are now the subject of investigations.
After taking office, the administration initiated several forensic audits including into the operations of NICIL/PU.

The audits included transactions into the Pradoville Two sale of lands to former government officials and their relatives; the construction of a High Street building at a cost of several hundreds of millions of dollars; the sale of two Duke Street properties to businessman, Gerry Gouveia, among others.

Investigators would also want to talk to Brassington about billions of dollars in dividends from state companies that NICIL collected and proceeds from the sale of scores of state properties.

It was unclear yesterday whether the officials would be examining moves to have Brassington returned to Guyana.

The former NICIL official, who came under scrutiny for overseeing the building of the Berbice Bridge and the Marriott Hotel, is said to be a permanent resident of the US, and not a citizen.

SOCU has also been wanting to talk to former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, who was a board member of NICIL, and who would have been privy to the transactions, as many of them would have had to also been approved by Cabinet, which the minister had been part of.

Singh is said to be working in the US- either Washington or New York, in a major financial institution.

It was unclear yesterday whether the two investigators will be also attempting to speak to the former minister.

The administration, while in Opposition, had insisted that billions of dollars were siphoned off and not accounted for, because of the deals, with the country’s best interests not taken care of.

Several former government ministers and officials and even ex-President Bharrat Jagdeo and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, have been hauled in for questioning by SOCU.

The Opposition has denied wrongdoing and has accused the administration of being on a campaign of witch-hunting.

NICIL probe…SOCU, SARU officials travel to Florida to talk to Brassington

Jun 27, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....talk-to-brassington/

Two of Guyana’s top investigators are set to travel early this week to Florida to talk to Winston Brassington, a former executive of the former administration whose role in a number of state deals has come under the microscope.

Well-placed sources said yesterday that head of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), Aubrey Retemyer, along with Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sydney James, of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), will be on the trip.

Perhaps a holiday trip under the pretext of an investigation.

Is Brassington legally obliged to talk to them while he is residing in the US? Or is this an exercise in futility? 

Zed posted:

Is Brassington legally obliged to talk to them while he is residing in the US? Or is this an exercise in futility? 

Will he refuse to talk? He can always plead the fifth or postpone the meetings until these two jokers get tired and return home. I don't think he is under any obligation to talk to them. America is not Guyana.

Could be America officials are in on it? This is the big fish, SK banna.

skeldon_man posted:

Zed posted:

Is Brassington legally obliged to talk to them while he is residing in the US? Or is this an exercise in futility? 

Will he refuse to talk? He can always plead the fifth or postpone the meetings until these two jokers get tired and return home. I don't think he is under any obligation to talk to them. America is not Guyana.

In Guyana, the President is superior to the laws. In America, the President is not that powerful; he could be impeached or prosecuted.

Zed posted:

Is Brassington legally obliged to talk to them while he is residing in the US? Or is this an exercise in futility? 

He can chase them off his property.

Brassington says SOCU was told in April 2016 he’s prepared to co-operate

Former Head of NICIL, Winston Brassington says he had notified SOCU and the police of his willingness to co-operate fully with any investigations they may be conducting.

In a letter sent last night to this newspaper, Brassington, who now lives abroad,  was responding to  a news item in the last Sunday Stabroek  headlined `SOCU actively seeking Brassington, Ashni Singh’.

Brassington in his letter said that he was surprised by the report as over a year ago his attorneys had written to the Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit, Sydney James and the Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud notifying of his willingness to co-operate with any probe. He released a copy of the letter which stated  in part that “…despite being out of the jurisdiction , Mr Brassington is available to fully co-operate with any investigations, and provide evidence by affidavit or video conference as is necessary to facilitate any inquiries”.

He said SOCU has made no effort to contact him since his attorneys’ letter of April 14, 2016.

A copy of his letter follows:

Dear Editor:

I note your article on Sunday June 25^th entitled: “SOCU actively seeking Brassington, Ashni Singh.”

Permit me to make a few points.

If your report is indeed true, I find it strange that the business of SOCU is being discussed with the media, when no effort has been made to contact me.  I note that this is not the first time this has happened.  Earlier newspaper articles relating to the forensic audits reveal a pattern of collusion between SOCU and certain media matters, where matters supposedly under investigation, are divulged to select sections of the media and published in a one-sided manner.  You may recall that the final forensic audit reports on NICIL and AHI were serially leaked, weeks before it was released to the NICIL Board of Directors or myself.  These media leaks are prejudicial to a fair and impartial process.

Regarding SOCU “actively” seeking me, I find it strange, when over a year ago, on April 14, 2016, the attached letter was dispatched by my attorneys to the Head of SOCU, Lt. Colonel Sydney James, with a copy to the Commissioner of Police (COP), with both offices signing for receipt of the letter.  My attorneys letter stated “…..despite being out of the jurisdiction, Mr. Brassington is available to fully co-operate with any investigations, and provide evidence by affidavit or video conference as is necessary to facilitate any inquiries. Please contact either myself or counsellor Mark Waldron with any question you may have concerning our client.”

To date, no request has been submitted to my attorneys.

Please also note that further to my letter of resignation in January 2016 to NICIL, the Board of NICIL confirmed acceptance of my resignation, thanked me for my 20 + years of service to NICIL/PU and paid me my remaining benefits.  Since that time, NICIL has sought assistance from me on various matters via email, to which I have assisted by responding as best as I could.

You may additionally recall that in 2015, our team responded paragraph by paragraph to the preliminary forensic audit reports (which are now public).  In December 2015, I addressed many issues via a press conference in the boardroom of NICIL.  Your newspaper published multiple reports including legal opinions from first class attorneys addressing key legal issues raised in the audit reports.  I pointed out that NICIL was audited every year under my watch, and clean audit opinions issued.  I recall even attending a shareholders meeting of NICIL in 2015 under the current Government, where the 2013 audited accounts were approved.

Suffice to say, it would be nice if due process was followed on matters of interest to SOCU involving myself.  I believe that any questions not already answered in prior audit responses or the various publications issued over the years, can reasonably be responded to.

In conclusion, when SN headline states that SOCU is “…actively seeking Brassington …”, when there has not been a single instance of SOCU doing this per the 14 April 2016 letter from my attorneys, it becomes clear that the SN June 25, 2017 article is misleading and inaccurate or at best, contradictory.

Thank you for publishing this letter.

Stabroek News:

Zed posted:

Is Brassington legally obliged to talk to them while he is residing in the US? Or is this an exercise in futility? 

Current understanding is that Winston Brassington is not a citizen of the US_of_A, but a permanent resident.

Being a citizen, he is protected by the US_of_A.

Being a permanent resident, he could be held by the authorities should he visit Guyana.

Since he is legally living in the US_of_A, there is little they can do to/with him. It is Winston Brassington's choice to talk to them.

If Brassington is a permanent resident and there is an Intelpol request for his arrest from Guyana then he has some explaining to do to US Immigration.  He better get a lawyer in the US and not just Guyana. 

Accountability:  Ways should be found for  Brassy and Singh to return to Guyana and if found guilty, fry their ass.

They were once king of the jungle, but losers now, for jumping ship and run away.

Looks like the slopcan crew already tried and convicted Brassington. What I don't follow is why these jackasses need to travel to Florida, they can easily do a skype meeting and record it. Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

Drugb posted:

Looks like the slopcan crew already tried and convicted Brassington. What I don't follow is why these jackasses need to travel to Florida, they can easily do a skype meeting and record it. Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

That's because you are a jackass as depicted by your avatar. Scat now slopcan faeces.

Drugb posted:

Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

Metal Bracelets.

cain posted:

Drugb posted:

Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

Metal Bracelets.

How so?  Saru has no authority in Florida. How will a conversation with Brassington accomplish metal braclets? You slop can  boys letting your hatred of the PPP cloud your judgment 

Guyana police have no authority to arrest people in the US_of_A.

Also, they have no authority to expect individuals to converse with them.

Drugb posted:

cain posted:

Drugb posted:

Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

Metal Bracelets.

How so?  Saru has no authority in Florida. How will a conversation with Brassington accomplish metal braclets? You slop can  boys letting your hatred of the PPP cloud your judgment 

Oh, rass Cain!!!! So now you join the clop can carrier crew? Is this a promotion? What's the compensation level?? Beginner, Junior or Senior level?????

skeldon_man posted:

Drugb posted:

cain posted:

Drugb posted:

Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

Metal Bracelets.

How so?  Saru has no authority in Florida. How will a conversation with Brassington accomplish metal braclets? You slop can  boys letting your hatred of the PPP cloud your judgment 

Oh, rass Cain!!!! So now you join the clop can carrier crew? Is this a promotion? What's the compensation level?? Beginner, Junior or Senior level?????

My guess is, it depends on how much slop one has to carry for you fools to devour. In Druggie's case he consumes so much he even carries it around in suitcases...he had a pic here once...ever seen it?

cain posted:

skeldon_man posted:

Drugb posted:

cain posted:

Drugb posted:

Not sure what a face to face will accomplish.

Metal Bracelets.

How so?  Saru has no authority in Florida. How will a conversation with Brassington accomplish metal braclets? You slop can  boys letting your hatred of the PPP cloud your judgment 

Oh, rass Cain!!!! So now you join the clop can carrier crew? Is this a promotion? What's the compensation level?? Beginner, Junior or Senior level?????

My guess is, it depends on how much slop one has to carry for you fools to devour. In Druggie's case he consumes so much he even carries it around in suitcases...he had a pic here once...ever seen it?

Man, you must really have strong biceps, deltoids, and quads. Not to mention the back muscles. I am sure with all that carrying, you must be displaying a six pack too.