Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan on Friday said that the audit of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is moving apace and for the time being he has no issue with the police spearheading the exercise or SOCU’s head, Assistant Commissioner Sydney James, remaining on the job while the audit is being done.
“At this stage, yes. There are some allegations being made that monies were not spent properly and, of course, you just don’t do anything drastic. In the meantime, you listen to what the auditors of the police force could say… and then you proceed apace with that,” he said when asked if James should remain while the audit is in progress.
It was claims of grave mismanagement by sacked British advisor Dr Sam Sittlington and some SOCU staff that sparked the audit, which will cover as far back as 2014.
At the top of the list of concerns is the spending of operational funds, which ought to cater for basic things, such as the purchase of toiletries and credit for investigators and other staff, as well as the current arrangement for the storage of seized cash.