British High Commis-sioner to Guyana Greg Quinn yesterday said that Irish consultant Dr Sam Sittlington is serving in an advisory and training capacity at the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and not in an operational role.
Quinn offered the clarification yesterday in light of questions raised by attorney Anil Nandlall, who represents former president Bharrat Jagdeo and some former PPP/C government officials who have been questioned by SOCU as part of its probe into the sale of land in the ‘Pradoville 2’ housing scheme. On Tuesday, Jagdeo was arrested at the Leader of the Opposition’s office on Church Street, Georgetown by SOCU head Sydney James, who was accompanied by Sittlington.
In light of Sittlington’s comments to the media defending SOCU’s recent actions as part of the probe, Nandlall on Thursday suggested that he may be acting outside of his remit.
In a statement issued yesterday, Quinn said Sittlington is not serving in an operational role. “In talking to the media Dr Sittlington was trying to be helpful in explaining the legal basis and rights on which SOCU took the actions they did. It would be wrong to interpret this as Dr Sittlington being involved in the investigations themselves. He was not,” he said.
Quinn added that as he has previously stated on several occasions, Sittlington’s current contract was funded by the British High Commission and was designed as a follow up to his work with SOCU last year.
In response to Quinn’s statement, Nandlall yesterday said that based upon information he has received from clients who have been the subject of SOCU’s investigations and from what he personally observed on Tuesday, it is difficult not to conclude that Sittlington may have exceeded his official remit and trespassed into operational matters at SOCU. “Moreover, it is awfully difficult to reconcile the admitted remit of Dr. Sittlington at SOCU, that is, as an advisor and a trainer, with “him explaining [to the press] the legal basis and rights on which SOCU took the actions they did.” In my humble view, this latter function seems better suited for the Public Relations Department of the Guyana Police Force, of which SOCU is a part. The content of what he disclosed to the press, swayed him in yet another direction: the political realm. These unfortunate utterances only exacerbated an already ignoble situation,” he said in a statement issued last evening.
Nandlall on Thursday charged that Sittlington’s comments had “political underpinnings,” which he said caused him to question his role in local law enforcement.
“Is he operating under the auspices of the British High Commission in Guyana? If so, then one will have to assume that there is some linkage between his actions and the British government. This must be clarified by the British High Commission. Or, is he a consultant? And if so, for whom is he consulting and who [is really] paying him? If he is a consultant, then it would appear that he is acting way outside of his remit and is engaged in operational matters,” Nandlall said.
“I recall as Attorney General, Mr. Sittlington was around offering his services to assist the then government in dealing with the Anti-Money Laundering [and] Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) issues at the time. However, the government did not retain his services because our difficulties at the time was getting the opposition’s majority support in Parliament for the bills to be passed. I also recall that Opposition Members of Parliament were consulting him in assisting them in drafting counter amendments to the government’s AML/CFT amendment bills. It now appears, that this government has either retained the gentleman or has promised him a contract, hence his deep involvement in this matter,” he added.
Asked about the allegations yesterday, State Minister Joseph Harmon said he was not moved by them.
“I am not particularly worried about these allegations being levelled by the opposition because by and large many of them are persons who have been identified in the investigation. Whether there is active or passive involvement, I cannot say. The opposition will continue to make these allegations. Those police know exactly what should be done,” he said, while adding that the police officers that are engaged in the investigation are sufficiently equipped to deal with the issues that arise.
“SOCU is an arm of the police and this is a police investigation. We cannot interfere with the police and I have said before we will not interfere with the police investigation,” he also said.
