Georgetown: The Ministry of the Presidency is expected to submit accounts information to police investigators on the case of that ministry’s former Permanent Secretary, Omar Shariff, who was arrested after some $10B was uncovered in his personal account. It is being speculated that Shariff’s account could have way more than the indicated $10B, a position which Minister of State Joseph Harmon has refused to comment on.
“I cannot say now at this point in time what is the physical state of the investigation or to confirm whether it is $10B or $20B as the case might be,” Harmon said.
Harmon is the government official with current responsibility over the Ministry of the Presidency.
“The police have asked us for information from our accounts section and we have provided them with the information that they have asked for,” Harmon told the press corps on Thursday during his weekly post-cabinet briefing.
The minister appealed for full cooperation by all entities that might come into contact with the investigation of the police.
Harmon said the administration “will be guided by what the police say and at the end of the investigation, what course of action they choose to take, we will just follow that.”
Earlier this month, this newspaper was informed that the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) visited the former permanent secretary’s home and removed documents and a safe.
In a letter dated June 30, 2016 to Shariff, Minister Harmon told him to proceed on his annual leave effective Friday, so that he could cooperate fully with SOCU during the investigation.
“This is [a] money-laundering and tax-evasion matter, since it’s large sums of money that he has in his personal accounts,” Harmon told online news agency Demerara Waves some time ago.
Harmon said that SOCU’s investigations had nothing to do with Shariff’s role as permanent secretary at his ministry.
“These matters which came up are of a personal nature and they have to do with his own personal, private arrangement and have nothing to do with his actual office of permanent secretary,” Harmon said.
Shariff worked under the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government and is a former senior member of the now-opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP). Shariff has long-standing ties with that party.
While the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force has been helpful in the apprehension and investigation into Shariff, that agency is still under public scrutiny.
There have been calls for the release of the mandate and protocol of the agency, now part of the police force.
Harmon defended the operations of the agency, saying it is not only headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, but that the powers of the agency’s ranks are those powers conferred on other police ranks.
The Minister of State went on to say that it would be up to Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, to outline the powers and parameters of SOCU.
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