Several police ranks, including a senior officer, are now the subject of an internal probe after being accused of collecting millions of dollars to prevent the laying of charges over the discovery of a sub-machine gun and a quantity of ammunition at a city business place last year.
Police sources yesterday told Stabroek News that the money was allegedly paid to the senior rank by a city businessman, whose son was among the suspects arrested after the find, to prevent the matter from reaching the courts.
The ranks are all said to be stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Eve Leary.
Contacted for a comment on the case yesterday, Crime Chief (ag) Michael Kingston directed Stabroek News to Commissioner of Police Leslie James.
Kingston, however, described the allegation as “baseless,” while stating, “Let the persons making the allegations come forward and make statements.”
He said his present focus is solving serious crime and maintaining the current decrease in serious crime.
“My primary concern at this time is that all serious crimes continue to be solved and for serious crimes to remain at a decrease (sic) …,” Kingston noted.
Efforts made by Stabroek News to contact James proved futile as calls to his phone went unanswered.
In September last year, seven persons, including the son of a city businessman, were arrested after an intelligence-led operation unearthed a sub-machine gun, with its serial number filed off, three magazines, a silencer, 120 live rounds of .45 ammunition and an AK-47 magazine.
The discovery was made in the storeroom of a Church Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown business establishment.
The police had said that only one of the suspects was a licensed firearm holder.
The men were subsequently released on bail without being charged.
When Stabroek News had contacted Kingston in October for an update on the probe, he had said that the police received legal advice to release the men due to their multiple occupancy at the premises at the time of the discovery.
