-outside help to be sought, AG says
Acting Auditor General Deodat Sharma has confirmed that a forensic audit into the assets of employees at the Customs and Trade Administration (CTA) is underway, as the probe into allegations of corruption there deepens.

No timeline has been attached to the probe since it could take time, Sharma said yesterday. He emphasized the need for a careful review of the assets of employee attached to CTA, while pointing out that outside help would be required.

The process in itself needs to be thorough, Sharma said, noting that President Bharrat Jagdeo would expect nothing less. Sharma’s disclosure about the asset review comes in the wake of concerns raised by the President a short while ago on the scope of recent investigation conducted by a task force, which the Auditor General headed.

Jagdeo had raised the issue of the task force failing to investigate the assets of CTA employees, adding that when people cannot account for their assets, “they have a lot to answer for.” He said too that this particular aspect of the probe was included in the terms of reference for the task force.

Sharma acknowledged what the President articulated but pointed out that the intention of the task force had been to submit two separate reports. He explained that the immediate focus had been the Fidelity Polar beer scandal, which has since been completed, with subsequent interest in the assets of the employees. “…It has been part of our terms of reference and we understand how important it is but also how detailed it is expected to be. Hopefully the necessary cooperation is there as the probe expands,” Sharma explained.

He said the new investigation would entail a deeper collaboration with law enforcement, as it requires a detailed check into bank accounts, recently acquired assets such as property and vehicles. But he added that it can also be difficult as warrants would be needed to assess such information since it is not readily available and that “access to certain areas of people’s lives is not immediately there.”

Asked about staff records within the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on declarations of assets to the Integrity Commission, as is required, Sharma said such information is among that being sought. He noted that the GRA has an intelligence unit, which is expected to collaborate with the task force. Further, he said the task force is likely to request help from abroad, noting that the President has offered to assist in this area. Sharma pointed out that the Auditor General’s office has a forensic unit that was set up a short while ago and the unit will play a key role in this new investigation.

The bribery into allegations of corruption involving CTA staff and Fidelity Investment, which Sharma and a team recently completed, is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly on Thursday, when the contents would be made public.

Jagdeo initiated the probe last April following bombshell revelations about a ring to smuggle polar beer into the country and defraud the GRA of millions of dollars. The President spoke publicly on the report last week, disclosing that he had completed reading it and that the report was awaiting recommendations from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The report offers details into the bribery scandal that rocked the Customs and Trade Administration (CTA) and documents a series of interviews with those alleged to have been involved. It also contains key recommendations as regards officials at customs and a string of others allegedly tied to the fraud, suggesting that criminal charges be instituted in some instances. Specifically, the report recommends charges against Fidelity Investments, the company at the centre of the investigation and the scandal.

Sources said the investigation found that officers were openly deceptive about the contents of the containers they had examined and cleared at the wharf for Fidelity as they insisted and even falsified documents, stating that soft drinks had been imported by the importer.