‘Never used since confiscated’

President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said that the spy equipment seized from drug accused businessman, Roger Khan over five years ago by the army is in the custody of the police and it has never worked since it was confiscated.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the Office of the President, Jagdeo reiterated what he said at a New York press conference last week that the Government of Guyana could not give permission to Khan to import the sophisticated computer telephonic surveillance equipment from the Spy Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as was being claimed by his attorney. Jagdeo said it was only the US government, which could have done that. He said they have however since requested information from the US State Department on that issue as well as allegations from the US government that Khan may have been tied to a group responsible for over 200 murders during the period of 2002-2006. “We don’t have any hard evidence about these claims but we have nothing to hide so we have requested the information from the US and whatever are the responses we will make it public,” Jagdeo declared.

The whereabouts of the spy equipment after it was confiscated from Khan has always been an issue and only last week, the Secretary to the Defence Board, Dr Roger Luncheon could not say where it was when asked.

In a subpoena to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Khan’s lawyers stated: “FBI agent Justin Krider investigated Khan’s purchase of the computer telephonic surveillance equipment from the Spy Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and found Khan had permission from the Government of Guyana to purchase and possess this equipment.” The defence is seeking the testimony and all documents in Krider’s possession as these relate to the surveillance equipment purchased in Florida. In a background paragraph, the subpoena says that Khan is alleged to have used the equipment to improperly wiretap various high-ranking officials and others within Guyana in order to maintain his “alleged drug organization.” The equipment was seized on December 4, 2002 by an army patrol and turned over to the police.

Khan was later tried in a local court and freed, but since then there has been no public information on what happened to the equipment and many questions posed to officials by this newspaper on how the equipment came into the country and what happened to it after the court case went unanswered.

Stabroek News was told that following the seizure the equipment was confiscated and handed over to the government. It was then passed back to Khan at a later stage and similar type of equipment was handed to the police under the guise that it was the one that was seized. At one time the army had said that it had turned over the equipment to the police but the police later seemed not to know of its whereabouts. Reports had indicated that the laptop was capable of intercepting and tracing telephone calls made from a landline or a cellular phone and the software is reportedly only sold to governments.

At the time, then Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj said the use of the instrument did not breach any of the laws of Guyana.