The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) yesterday condemned the decision of the Special Organised Crimes Unit (SOCU) to arrest and charge six former members of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), including two of its parliamentarians, saying that it is the most recent act of political victimisation by the government.
“Guyanese have witnessed today the depths to which the Coalition government has sunk, in continuing with its political victimisation,” the party said in a statement, hours after charges were read to Jagnarine Singh, former GRDB General Manager; Prema Roopnarine, former Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture; Ricky Ramraj, agricultural consultant; Badrie Persaud, business consultant; Dharamkumar Seeraj, the General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association and a PPP/C MP; and Nigel Dharamlall, also a PPP/C MP.
“The actions of SOCU reflect the latest ‘another act of desperation’ by the Coalition Government, more so coming after the publication of its list of ‘non-achievements’ in its two years in office,” it added.
The six were read charges for allegedly failing to record entries for funds amounting to over $250 million in total in the agency’s general ledger between 2011 and 2015.
In its statement, the PPP said SOCU itself had admitted that its investigations are incomplete and, therefore, was unable to provide statements to the court. “If its investigations are incomplete, on what basis were the six persons charged?” it questioned.
The PPP also noted that the six accused at various times acted as GRDB Directors but they were the only ones charged although over a dozen persons had served the GRDB in the same capacity for the years cited by SOCU in the charges. “…the six persons charged are only those who have been linked to the PPP,” the party pointed out.
The party further said that the charges are matters of accounting and not issues that the directors would have been directly responsible for and as a result it again questioned the basis for the charges being laid.
It also said the charges come at a time when its parliamentarians are engaged in community outreaches across the coastal regions.
The PPP reiterated that SOCU is being used as a tool to continue “the witch hunting of political opponents,” and was being diverted from its intended purpose as part of Guyana’s international obligations to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism apparatus.
“The PPP will not be not be intimidated, nor will we be silenced or cease our efforts to expose the wrongdoings of the APNU+AFC government,” it added.
