The file on the vehicles transfer scandal involving former Public Service Minister Jennifer Westford was returned to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) yesterday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum has confirmed.
This development comes one day after the DPP had sent the same file back to the police with certain advice. No one has officially said what the DPP had advised but Stabroek News was told that the police were required to do additional investigations.
Blanhum speaking to Stabroek News late yesterday afternoon, also clarified that there is one file in existence in relation to this matter not two as this newspaper had stated in its yesterday’s edition.
The scheme was unearthed when Commissioner-General of GRA Khurshid Sattaur wrote to Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry Hydar Ally on June 10th, 2015 requesting that he re-issue a letter, dated April 14th, 2015, requesting the transfer of registration for eight vehicles into the names of Westford, Wayne Walker, Delroy Lewis, Gary Beaton (who is said to be Westford’s spouse) and Osbert McPherson.
There were also accompanying receipts which showed that they had paid cash for the vehicles in question. It is believed that the receipts are fakes, particularly since they did not look like official government-issued receipts.
Two employees of the Public Service Ministry have been sent on leave.
All of the vehicles at the centre of the probe have now been returned to the ministry.
