Updated: Charge against Head of Strategic Action Security dropped, House Speaker informed

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 20:59 by GxMedia

The National Assembly’s Committee of Supply in session on Monday

A charge of receiving stolen property against the Head of Strategic Action Security Limited, Richard Kanhai has been dropped, Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman announced in the House on Monday.

Trotman’s announcement was made several hours after he had allowed a question by A Partership for National Unity (APNU) about why Security Action was being awarded contracts to guard government buildings in several parts of the country. He later told the House (about 7:10 PM) that Strategic Alliance’s lawyer had since informed him that the charge had been dropped against Kanhai.

APNU Shadow Security Minister, Winston Felix had earlier Monday queried during consideration of budgetary 2014 budgetary estimates by the National Assembly’s Committee of Supply for a number of administrative regions.

“I would like to know whether I can enquire whether the person we know with an interest in that security company is the person charged before the court for receiving stolen property,” asked Felix, a former Police Commissioner.

The Head Strategic Action Security Limited, Richard Kanhai was charged last year with receiving one Haier laptop believed t have been stolen from the One Laptop per Familu (OLPF) warehouse.

Responding to the question, which was allowed by the Chairman Raphael Trotman because the case is a matter o public record, Local Government Minister, Norman Whittaker stated: “I am not in a position to respond to that.”

Felix further asked: “How do we superintend public money?”. To that, the Minister said the regiona administrations were also expected to assist in supervision.

When Whittaker pointed out that it was the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) that was responsible for setting out the criteria for the invitation of tenders, Felix retorted that there was no coordination among the relevant state agencies. “There is an absence of coordination because we should not have such a situation whereby serious criminal issues are allowed to escape the system.”

Trotman had recalled that similar questions had been raised before in the House by the Opposition.