High Court freezes bank accounts linked to police officer’s wife

Last Updated on Saturday, 27 July 2024, 17:10 by Writer

As a wide-ranging probe by the Guyana Police Force’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) into alleged financial improprieties widens, investigators within the past week obtained High Court orders to freeze at least two bank accounts for businesses being operated by the wife of a high ranking police officer.

“We have frozen the accounts. SOCU has frozen all those accounts; gotten the permission of the court to freeze those accounts so they can’t withdraw from those and these run into large sums of money – hundreds of millions of dollars,” an official told Demerara Waves Online News on strict condition of anonymity.

Well-placed sources informed Demerara Waves Online News that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), in collaboration with SOCU, obtained the court orders after suspicious transactions in the form of huge deposits were seen in the bank accounts in a manner to avoid the generation of a suspicious transaction report (STR) in keeping with Anti-Money Laundering and Countering of Financing Terrorism rules. “We found that on some days, several deposits were made on the same day but splitting it up below the US$10,000 mark to avoid it being picked up by the system,” the official said.

Investigators believed that contracts were awarded “through corrupt activities.” Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn earlier this month publicly said the big problem facing the Guyana Police Force was procurement-related fraud. He had said that several government agencies such as the Auditor General’s Office and the Integrity Commission would be expected to participate in a probe that had already begun.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has been saying “let the chips fall where they may”, in relation to an investigation into alleged financial improprieties by Assistant Police Commissioner Calvin Brutus. Mr Brutus declined to comment on a reported GY$16.5 million deposit into the Guyana Police Credit Union account, when he was asked in person. He has opted to proceed on annual leave to facilitate the probe. Government has also said he would be ineligible for promotion.

With reports already circulating that the corruption might be linked to a political functionary in government, the source said investigators would not cover up anything if the official is found culpable. “If that comes out, the consequences will be grave for anyone,” the official said.