The probe is expected to tunnel as far back as five years, Sharma said last week.
He said that the focus of the reconstituted task force, which conducted the Fidelity bribery probe at CTA, is currently to examine bank accounts, as well as house and vehicle records, but he cautioned that this could take sometime as “it requires careful scrutiny”.
“There are quite a number of records that we have to track down and that’s only the beginning because the structure of the probe only becomes clearer when we are in possession of the necessary information”, Sharma stated.
The Auditor General said that the task force commenced its forensic probe shortly after releasing the customs bribery report in January this year. He said that the terms of reference of the body requires that a forensic audit be conducted, adding that its objectives had been established since its initiation.
He confirmed that customs employees embroiled in the bribery scandal are currently under the microscope saying that the forensic audit centres around the persons accused in the scandal involving Fidelity. He said too, that other employees are likely to be screened as the probe deepens.
Since the investigations require collaboration with other agencies, he said, the task force has been working along with the relevant authorities to access the necessary records.
To date cooperation has been fair, Sharma said, noting that some employees were asked to declare their assets as recently as last week to the task force.
The probe is expected to get thorny when the task force examines salaries and probes personal possessions, he observed. He said that how far this will go is hard to determine at this time, adding that the probe is also likely to widen if other names are called.
“Wherever we are led we will go”, Sharma said referring to the possible addition of names in the investigation.
But he insisted that the investigation being conducted is an open one, and that employees need not fear any hidden aspects. The task force is expected to present a detailed report at the end of the probe.
No timeline has been attached to the probe since it could take time, Sharma reiterated. He emphasized the need for a careful review of the assets of employees attached to the CTA.
The bribery into allegations of corruption involving CTA staff and Fidelity Investment, which Sharma and a team completed, was made public in January.
President Bharrat Jagdeo had initiated the probe last April following bombshell revelations about a ring to smuggle polar beer into the country and defraud the GRA of millions of dollars.
The task force report, which was forwarded to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions for advice, concluded that fake documents were submitted to customs by both the broker and Fidelity Investments Inc and charges were recommended against a top Fidelity official, a broker and 14 Customs employees from various departments who were said to be complicit in the fraud. Some persons had been dismissed even before the completion of the report.
