Ramjattan cagey on audits being referred to cops

Despite numerous calls for action to be taken again those found culpable of wrongdoing at State agencies which was unearthed during forensic audits, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan has hinted that the police may not be called in and said that the Boards of the entities involved need to take charge.

Asked last Friday if the audit reports would be handed over to the police, the minister told the Sunday Stabroek, “not necessarily” since it is not the desire of government to “flood the police with reports which may just need the intervention of the board.” He pointed out that some of the reports have already been handed over to the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).

The Sunday Stabroek has since learnt that the audit report into the operations of the Guyana Market Corporation (GMC) which covered the period between January 1, 2012 and March 31, 2015 was handed over to SOCU. The auditor, Saykar Boodhoo, had uncovered financial improprieties including fraud in the management of the GMC’s fertilizer program and in the construction of its office building, for which it recommended a police probe.