Feb 23 2019
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 “certain 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.
