Home News Recent drug busts involving GDF ranks demonstrate that institutions are working –...
– says illegalities by public officials under APNU/AFC were covered up
The recent cases of members of the disciplined forces being busted with large quantities of drugs and charged are indications not only of the government’s determination to root out criminality where it may be but also that the institutions work.
This is according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during his weekly press briefing on Wednesday.
Only recently, several ranks of Guyana Defense Force (GDF) ranks were busted with various quantities of narcotics. They have already been placed before the courts, charged, and remanded to prison.
On Wednesday, Jagdeo dismissed claims of a systemic meltdown, noting that the real test of a working investigative and prosecutorial system, is showing that no one is above the law.
“So, it doesn’t matter if we catch the soldiers. If they commit an illegal act, whether they are soldiers, citizens or policemen, they have to face the law. And the leadership of the army, they’ve made it clear in a public statement that its intelligence-led operations, they’re taking it seriously. This is not by chance, the police and the army are doing this by intelligence-led operations, to apprehend these people.”
“We should be applauded for not covering this up. This is not a meltdown. This shows that the institutions of the state can work and are working … if they catch a soldier or a policeman, who might be involved in a corrupt act and they’re charged and placed before the court… That is the institution working.”
The Vice President pointed out that corruption within the armed services exists all around the world. That being said, he also paid tribute to the hard-working members of the armed services, who do not commit illegal acts.
“This is not a meltdown. This is the institution working. We can’t promise that every soldier or every policeman will act professionally. But thousands of them act professionally, thousands of soldiers and policemen who would give their lives for this country and act professionally.”
“So, we must not disparage all of them. We must not do that. And the ones who are acting illegally, they are being caught by the institutions, through their own efforts to ensure that these bodies meet the professional standard.”
Jagdeo also pointed out that illegalities by disciplined service members and public officials also occurred under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government – they were just covered up. One example the Vice President gave was the $1 billion fuel racket that officials in the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) and the GDF had engaged in.
“You think in the United States, this doesn’t happen? You don’t have corrupt people in those agencies? Or many parts of the world? Or under APNU, oh everyone was pristine? We just saw an example of it, a $1 billion fuel coverup. And it’s a pity that they charged only the small people,” the Vice President said.
“You remember how some members of the Police Service Commission, were paid tens of millions of dollars, to draft standing orders for the police, whilst they were members of the commission, orders that were already drafted, they were then paid large sums of money to draft these orders. That was a clear conflict of interest. That should have never happened but it took place under APNU. And it went unnoticed until we got into office and exposed it.”
Less than two weeks after two Sergeants attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were intercepted at Coverden, East Bank Demerara (EBD) with 154lbs of ganja, another two ranks were busted on Saturday last while transporting 316 pounds of the illicit plant.
Based on reports received, the two ranks – Edward McCalmont,40, a Corporal attached to Camp Ayanganna who resides at Kaneville, EBD, and John Johnson, 24, a Lance Corporal attached to Base Camp Stephenson and of Timehri, EBD, were travelling in a Route 42 minibus when it was intercepted in the vicinity of Space Gym, Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.
Police stated that acting on information received, ranks from the Special Branch and other ranks went to Mandela Avenue, where they intercepted the minibus bearing registration number, BTT 27 owned by McCalmont who was in the driver’s seat. Johnson was reportedly in the front passenger’s seat.
Less than a week before, Sergeants Clovis Sam, 31, of Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, and 42-year-old Adisa Higgins from Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden were charged and remanded to prison for having 154lbs of ganja in their possession. (G-3)
