People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Clement Rohee on Tuesday stated that the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) did not have any authority to arrest or prosecute anyone, labelling them a “toothless
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee
poodle”.
Rohee was addressing questions relating to the Pradoville 2 debacle, which involves several members of the previous Administration. Reports have surfaced that the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) believes that there should be civil proceedings laid against the persons involved. However, SARU is insisting that criminal charges should be laid.
“Where the chips fall, let them go. If SARU thinks they have a case, then they have to take that matter to the DPP and the DPP will have to pronounce,” he said. “I don’t think SARU has any authority to arrest or prosecute anybody. They are just a body in the Ministry of the Presidency.”
He noted that “SARU doesn’t have any teeth…to me it is like a toothless poodle. There are only two agencies in this country that could arrest and prosecute: the Guyana Police Force, under the advice of the DPP Chambers”.
In October 2015, SARU released a report that stated that the former President’s Cabinet made a decision to instruct National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), which is the body tasked with overseeing the privatisation of State assets, to privatise State lands.
The report claimed that over $200 million was spent to develop the seafront community without the knowledge of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies.
The land was then sold by the previous Government to officials. The report indicated that the land was undervalued and sold at a price significantly below the market value.
Rohee stated that the audit reports completed by SARU were scattered and disorganised. “They don’t seem to know what to do with these audits…some are with Ramjattan, some are with the Ministry of the Presidency and some are with the Police…they all over the place.”
He stated that there should be no presumptions that the Party’s reputation would be tarnished by the findings and recommendations of SARU.
“There is also a view that they seem to be dragging along these things to the next elections in order to do whatever they want to,” he opined, but noted that the PPP has withstood manipulations and has remained strong.
He said the Party was over 50 years old, and reiterated that there was no chance that its reputation would be damaged based on the findings of the audits.
“The PPP is over 50 years and I don’t think this new government, in respect of how many audits they are doing or how many provocations they are seeking to engineer, that will destroy the PPP party. It is a strong party,” he said.
