Shariff probe centres on taxes from personal business

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) investigation of Ministry of the Presidency Permanent Secretary (PS) Omar Shariff involves a personal business that he operates and has nothing to do with his job, his attorney Sanjeev Datadin said yesterday, while adding that media reports suggesting that his client has billions of dollars are untrue and have put his safety at risk.

Shariff was sent on leave last week to facilitate the SOCU investigation.

“His situation relates to a personal matter relating to the filing of income tax for his personal business and he needs to make himself fully compliant as far as the payment of his taxes is concerned,” Datadin told Stabroek News yesterday.