SOCU swoops down on GEA

…as part of fuel purchase probe

Ranks of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on Thursday morning swooped down on the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) Head Office at Quamina Street as the probe continues into financial crimes allegedly committed at the agency relative to fuel purchases.
Updating media operatives outside the GEA, Head of SOCU, Assistant Police

Commissioner Sydney James, explained that his team’s presence at the agency was in relation to two investigations which SOCU had been mandated to investigate.
“One relates to the forensic audit of the Guyana Energy Agency, and the second one relates to an investigation which was done by the Ministry of the Presidency with respect to malpractices and mismanagement in the purchase of fuel by the Guyana Oil (Company) and the Guyana Energy Agency,” James detailed.
Led by ACP James, the SOCU team arrived at the Quamina Street, Georgetown destination at sometime after 10:00h, moments after obtaining warrants from the court.
“We have a search warrant signed by a magistrate…this morning,” James revealed.
According to the SOCU Head, the unit had previously requested the relevant documents from the Energy Agency to facilitate its probe, but there were “challenges” that forced SOCU personnel to turn up at the office.
“We did ask, but there were some challenges; that’s all I care to comment on,” James indicated to reporters.
While ACP James did not reveal whether his officers had taken with them any documents from the building, he did note that both GEA Head Dr Mahender Sharma and the staff were cooperating and assisting with the probe.
Government had, back in March 2016, set up a three-member Board of Inquiry (BoI) led by Assistant Commissioner Winston Cosbert to investigate allegations of wrong doing, malpractices, and mismanagement in the purchase of fuel by GUYOIL and GEA.
The Board was commissioned following several allegations of misconduct levelled against staff within both fuel agencies. The aim of the inquiry is to advise the state on the veracity of those allegations, to report findings and conclusions to the Government, and to make recommendations on actions to be taken if individuals are found culpable.
GEA has been under the spotlight for its management of fuel purchases for the country. A forensic audit done on the agency highlighted a number of issues.
Then, in January of this year, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman told media operatives at a post-Cabinet briefing that Government would be moving to take action against persons found culpable of mismanagement at the GEA and other State agencies, after the forensic audits into those entities have revealed a number of financial irregularities and had recommended that reports be handed over to the police for further investigations.
The following month, several forensic audit reports, including GEA along with the BoI report, were handed over to the Police Force.