Investigators are awaiting some information from the United States that would establish links in the July 17 Ministry of Health fire, Commissioner of Police Henry Green disclosed to the media on Friday.
Responding to questions at the end of the force’s annual presentation of bursaries and awards, Greene said that investigations take time and they were working diligently to thoroughly investigate the incident.
He later revealed that while having charged five persons already, they were presently awaiting some information from their counterparts in the US “in connection with some linkages. We are awaiting that at this point in time.”
Last Tuesday, police issued a wanted bullet for a Georgetown resident to assist in their investigations.
George Lashley who is said to be around 60 of Lot 187 Freeman Street, North East La Penitence, is yet to be located.
He is the fourth person that police have expressed an interest in since the early morning blaze.
Former Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder Allen, Heston Bostwick and Archie Poole were all taken into police custody shortly after the fire and after being questioned released on station bail.
So far two persons have been charged over the incident.
Clayton Westford, 19, an office assistant of 7 West La Penitence and 21-year-old Tedena Bagot, a pork-knocker of 32 Second Street, Alexander Village have so far appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court charged with setting fire to a public building.
They were remanded to prison by Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson and made another court appearance earlier this month when they were further remanded until September 29. However they subsequently escaped from the Providence lock-ups and have not since been recaptured.
A huge fire sparked by channa bombs completely destroyed the Ministry of Health’s main building and an annex at Brickdam in the wee hours of July 17, devouring decades-old records, vehicles and a number of key divisions in a major blow to the health sector.
The inferno erupted some time before 3 am and continued for three hours amid a downpour and a valiant battle by the Guyana Fire Service to save three buildings in the ministry’s southern wing and its immediate neighbour, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
The fire levelled the offices of two ministers, a permanent secretary, the chief medical officer and administrative staff, the Registry, Disease Control Unit, Adolescent Health Unit, Tobacco Control Unit, Standards Department and a section of the Accounts Department.
