APNU/AFC’s chief scrutineer being investigated for $6M fraud at rice company

The Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) on Friday hauled in APNU/AFC’s chief scrutineer Carol Smith-Joseph for questioning in connection with a fraud committed on the Mahaica-Abary Rice Development Scheme (MARDS) Rice Milling Complex Limited back in 2016.
SOCU said the privately owned company made a report against Smith-Joseph for fraudulent appropriation of the company’s funds while she had been a director. Upon receiving the report recently, SOCU commenced its investigations, and it has been revealed that Smith-Joseph, as a director on MARDS’ board, had solely approved 14 transactions, amounting to $6,121,108, without the Board’s knowledge. These were reportedly approved between June 1, 2016 and August 2016.

According to SOCU, the monies were used for her personal benefit, and for purposes other than that of the rice company’s. However, on completion of the investigations, a file was prepared and sent to the Director of Public Prosecution’s Chambers for legal advice.
DPP’s Chambers have since recommended that Smith-Joseph be invited to SOCU on Friday, where the 14 allegations of Fraudulent Appropriation of Property of Body Corporate were put to her. Prior to her making her appearance at SOCU, the APNU+AFC had accused the SOCU of political intimidation.
The Coalition has said it is calling on citizens to condemn this action as intimidatory, politically-driven, and therefore totally unacceptable. “As the Opposition’s Chief Election Scrutineer, Ms. Smith-Joseph has been at the forefront of our struggle for credible elections, inclusive of a clean voters list,” the political party related in a release.
In fact, back in 2020, Smith-Joseph, the then PNC/R Chairperson Volda Lawrence, and Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo were slapped with several charges in relation to electoral fraud following the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Joseph was the one who signed off on the District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo’s fraudulent figures the second time. The first time, it was signed by PNC Executive Volda Lawrence.
Meanwhile, Joseph has only recently filed an application asking the court for declarations that GECOM violated several provisions of the Local Authorities (Elections) Act in the preparation of the List of Electors for the Local Government Elections.
The APNU/AFC feel that it was on this basis that Smith-Joseph was pulled in for questioning.
“The summoning of Ms. Smith-Joseph by the Police is a violation of her basic human rights as a law-abiding citizen. It is an abuse of Police powers,” the APNU/AFC added.
These are not the only instances in which Smith-Joseph has taken the spotlight. Back in August 2020, it was revealed that despite lacking any qualifications in the oil and gas industry, she was appointed under the APNU/AFC regime as a Petroleum Unit Advisor – one of the portfolios used to collect large sums of money from State agencies.
Back then, it was reported that politically-affiliated persons had held different positions under the Granger-led administration, and were collecting salaries despite being unqualified for the respective positions.
Following the revelation, the Auditor General and the Guyana Police Force were called in to investigate these irregularities.