Home Ministry lambastes Kaieteur News over whistleblower story

The Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday lambasted the Kaieteur News over its claim that a whistleblower had provided it with information on an alleged scam surrounding the auctioning of police vehicles.

The ministry charged that Kaieteur News was trying to cover up that it has been paying the police for information; an act the ministry charged is encouraging corruption.

The statement was prompted by a front page article yesterday which concerned alleged wrongdoings by some ranks at the Guyana Police Force and the Ministry of Home Affairs in respect to an auction of police vehicles held on March 23.

The release stated that the ministry is not spellbound by the “disclosure”.

“The uncharacteristic claim by Kaieteur News that it did not make public the information since the authenticity of the information was being verified” is laughable to say the least. Since when does Kaieteur News make any effort to “verify the authenticity of scoops?” the release said.

It was stated that the ministry stands by every word in its press release issued on July 12

“The Ministry of Home Affairs wishes to emphasize that the Kaieteur News’ ‘whistleblower’ is no mystery man. He is well known at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Only a few weeks ago he was on the phone to the ministry enquiring about the status of the investigation into the alleged wrongdoings in connection with the same auction.

“All the documents he left with the ministry on the matter are in the hands of the police since April 2012 when the ministry, under the hand of the Permanent Secretary wrote formally to the Commissioner of Police requesting a full and immediate investigation into the matter”, the release said.

It was stated that the ministry is not concerned where the information came from as “the fact of the matter is that information surfaced alleging wrongdoing at the auction of vehicles belonging to the Guyana Police Force”.

The ministry said that it wished to make clear that it was not in the game of playing “upmanship nor jostling for press coverage” when addressing such matters adding that what is important is that it came to light and the ministry responsible demanded an investigation.

“Monday’s Kaieteur News front page story exposed once again its cloven hooves. It was a brazen attempt by Kaieteur News to cover up for those who were involved in the wrongdoing and those who are paid in exchange for information about the Guyana Police Force. It is no secret that the Kaieteur News pays cash in exchange for information about happenings within the force,” the release stated.

It further said that while Kaieteur News wants people to believe it is fighting corruption, “it is in fact encouraging corruption within the force by offering big bucks in exchange for information about happenings within the Guyana Police Force.

“Try as desperately, cynically or cleverly as it may, every reader of the Kaieteur News knows that that newspaper offers cash for information about the Guyana Police Force. To try now to cover up its corrupt concubinage with some ranks within the force by floating its ‘whistleblower’ and by making the public claim that the Ministry of Home Affairs attempted [to] cover up the matter will convince no one,” the release stated.

The ministry said that the newspaper likes to pride itself by “strutting around claiming occupancy of all the space for bad news in Guyana leaving the space for good news only to the government. But this will soon evaporate leaving the Kaieteur News less and less space to flaunt everyone else’s dirty linen except itself.”

The ministry in the earlier release had berated the police Office of Professional Responsibility for the manner in which the matter was investigated and charged that it had not been privy to the findings of the probe. The ministry also stated that there had been foot-dragging on the investigation which reeked of an attempt at a cover-up and the protection of police ranks as well as a staff member of the ministry. The ministry further stated that it appeared that the information had been sold to the Kaieteur News.

It was noted that in April the ministry instructed the Permanent Secretary to initiate an investigation based on reliable information which had come to the attention of the Minister’s Secretariat. However the ministry was never updated on the finding.

More so, a staff member was implicated and subsequently applied for annual vacation leave which was not granted in the light of the pending investigation.