AK-47 court martial
‘Weapons only’ area compromised
THE army court hearing evidence against Lieutenant Colonel Tony Ross in relation to the disappearance of several weapons from the Camp Ayanganna arms store yesterday heard that an area that was reserved for “weapons only” was compromised.
This was because, in addition to the weapons, there were other items being stored there, according to Prosecution witness, retired Colonel (Col.) Lawrence Paul, while under cross-examination by Defence Counsel Gregory Gaskin.
Col. Paul however could not recall what the other items area were.
He yesterday told the court, too, that no unit in the GDF can apply for weapons by serial numbers as the unit would not have information on what weapons by serial numbers are available for issue.
The period that Paul spoke about was between January 2005 and January 2006, when he held the appointment of Colonel General Staff, with responsibility for operation and training along with the day to day administration of the GDF.
Paul was one of a number of top-ranking Army officers who were over-looked by Commander-in-Chief, President Bharrat Jagdeo when he named a four-man management team during the last quarter in 2007 to run the day-to- day affairs of the GDF.
Lt. Col. Ross, the first high-ranking Army officer to be charged in relation to this matter, is in accordance with military law, Section 209 (1) of the Defence Act 15:01, charged with three counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, contrary to Section 75 of the Defence Act Chapter 15:01.
He faces too, a lone count of neglect to the prejudice of good order and military discipline contrary to Section 75 of the Defence Act Chapter 15:01.
Particulars of the allegations are that, on or about February 13, 2006, without proper authority he:
* * instructed Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Gordon to establish an arms store for personnel of the Ordnance (Ord.) Corps, an instruction which he knew or was reasonably expected to know he had no authority to issue.
** gave instructions to have weapon numbers assigned to soldiers of Ord. Corps for the purpose of issuing the weapons to the soldiers.
** failed to ensure that the keys to the Keys Cabinet were booked in at Defence Headquarters Operations Room, a duty which he knew or was reasonably expected to know.
** at the Ord. Corps, during the period March 2005 to February 2006, failed to manage an effective Booking In/Out system for the Keys Ledger, a duty known to him or reasonably expected to be known to him.
Dressed in civilian wear - black pants, white shirt, complemented with a grey tie and black shoes – the retired Army Colonel led in his evidence-in-chief by State Counsel Melissa Yearwood-Stewart, told the Court that his responsibility then for arms and ammunition was restricted to recommending the approval or rejection for issue, to the Chief of Staff ( COS).
Ultimately, though, it was the COS who makes the final decision, the witness explained.
Those weapons would be procured from the “Force Reserve”, the witness added, and went on to detail the procedure obtained in the issuing of arms and ammunition in the GDF.
The witness also said he could not recall any request by the Commanding Officer, Ordnance Corps for the issue of weapons to the Corps.
Continuing, he acknowledged being familiar with the procedure as it relates to requests for establishing an arms store, but again could not recall having any request for such for the Ord. Corps.
He detailed too for the court, the system for the movement of keys in a unit, including that there were persons known and named in writing and for whom there are specimen signatures.
And that at the end of each working day, the keys for each unit are returned to where they are kept.
The witness spoke of “other procedures” for the safe-keeping of security keys, that is keeping them in a `key canister’.
The keys for that `key canister’, according to Col Paul, is kept by a security officer during the night and is then uplifted the next morning.
The responsibility in any unit lies with the Commanding Officer (CO) for whatever system is put in place, the witness noted, in response to a question posed by the Prosecution.
And, he reiterated, when being cross-examined, that the CO of a respective unit is “ultimately” responsible for seeing that the system is effectively in place.
Shown a document by the Defence, Col. Paul acknowledged that it was a GDF Training Directive 2006 which was prepared by him for an exercise code-named “Operation Plexus” . He admitted that the aim of the blue print was to offer guidance to the Unit Commander.
It was in the context of one of the paragraphs cited in the document that, Col. Paul, while under cross-examination, agreed that it was desirable for individual soldiers to have personal weapons, adding that it was “my intention for this to happen.”
He however clarified that while the document was meant to give guidance in the preparation of soldiers for testing and for the provision of personalized weapons,it did not mean giving instructions.
The witness, responding to a question, said he did not think that a Standing Order exits that specifies what should be the contents of an application.
He concurred with the Defence, though, that should such an application contain names, it would not be a contravention “in any known way” of making an application.
As it relates to who had physical command, COL. Paul said that the CO Ord. Corps, by extension, had “custodial” responsibility for weapons in the bond.
And, reminded that “the cardinal doctrine of knowledge in the GDF is intelligent anticipation of future task,”, the witness said that it is taught and encouraged, and he does not think any officer would be in contravention of Standing Orders if an application is submitted with a suggestion that contains a list of names.
The witness admitted that preparation of a nominal roll would require some amount of preparatory work.
The army court comprises the President, who is Colonel Jullian Bruce Lovell; a Judge advocate, retired High Court Judge Oslen Small; with Lt. Col. B. Bristol, Lt. Col. Patrick West, Lt. Col. Trevor Blenman and Major Paul Arthur as the other members of the panel.
The Court was adjourned to Monday next when, as indicated by the Prosecution,it will call its final witness to testify.
No one is protected!”
- President says into bribery investigations at GRA
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday declared that “no one is protected”, including government officials, as investigations continue to determine who benefits from the shakedown in the suspected fraud ring operating at the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
“We intended to go very deep,” Mr. Jagdeo said at a press conference yesterday.
He said the investigations goes beyond charges brought against Fidelity Investments that it colluded with Customs officials to evade paying taxes on the importation of Polar beers.
Mr. Jagdeo said that Fidelity Investments will have to face the consequences if it has been found that they breached the law, but he said it “seems to be major ring, and it goes way beyond Fidelity.”
The President said he ordered the setting up of a task force involving the Ministry of Finance, the Attorney General Chambers and the Police after he was alerted by Commissioner General of the GRA, Mr. Khurshid Sattaur that an apparent ring was operating within the revenue body.
In addition, Mr Jagdeo said the investigation may require looking at “people’s assets.”
You’d be amazed at the assets of the people who’ve been working in civil service jobs…with no other declared source of income than the salaries they earn from the government, but they have assets that are a hundred times, five hundred times their accumulated income for a period,” Mr Jagdeo said.
The President warned that he will not accept any lobbying from anyone on the issue.
“If anyone had any intention (of lobbying), please tell them no.. I don’t want to hear any calls about who is innocent or who is guilty; let them tell that to the investigating team,” Mr Jagdeo said.
Albouystown sewerage problem persists despite repeated complaints
A sewerage problem at a dwelling house in Albouystown, Georgetown is yet to be fixed three months after it was reported to the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI).
The affected resident, Robert Narine, told the Guyana Chronicle that the situation is now a health hazard.
He said that sewerage is backed up in his yard and the stench is unbearable.
Mr. Narine added he is frustrated because he is tired of telephoning the GWI office to complain.
“When I call officials there always telling me that they will come and fix the problem but to date I am still awaiting their arrival,” he explained.
The angry GWI customer pointed out that he is up to date with his payments and is considering his next move to rid himself of the sewerage problem.
He, however, is asking GWI to visit his Lot 174 Campbell Street, Albouystown residence to rectify the problem.
Meanwhile, GWI Sanitation Manager, Mr. Mark Mendonca said that the water company has since acquired funding from the International Development Bank (IDB) to rehabilitate the Albouystown Sewerage Pump.
He pointed out that they have had complaints and they are aware of the sewerage problem in the area and are hoping to correct the situation very soon.
Mr. Mendonca noted that residents themselves misuse the sewerage pump and various lines to dump garbage causin it to malfunction.
He however, urged residents to be patient.
The GWI Sanitation Manager added that today and Thursday they will visit the area and make use of a temporary pump to clear the sewerage from the area.
GPSU empowering its membership
A two-day workshop on Institutional strengthening and capacity building for trade unionists in Berbice, sponsored by the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), in collaboration with the Canadian Cooperative fund and governance network, commenced Monday at the Little Rock Suites conference room at Main and Church Street , New Amsterdam.
The sessions were aimed at educating the membership to enable them to better function in their workplace, making the union more viable.
Education Officer in the GPSU, Ms Vera Norton, told the Guyana Chronicle that in addition to improving skills , the session was geared to strengthen capacity of the literacy programme.
The Union ,she said, has recognized that its members are not as strong as they ought to be, and as such the programme , which would be taken across the nation, is designed to better empower the working class , leading to an improved workforce.
At the conclusion , Norton said, the recommencement exercise , which began in 2005, is expected make a valuable contribution to the restoration and enhancement of professionalism in public service.
The Berbice leg of the project has as its facilitators Peter Van Der Jagt and Judith Wiley, Canadian consultants from the governance network.
The two-day workshops began in Georgetown last week and similar gatherings would be held shortly at Bartica, Lethem, Mabaruma , and Linden.
Also attending the opening session were GPSU President Patrick Yarde, Regional Education Officer Ms Shaifran Bhajan, former GPSU President Mr. Norman Semple, and others .
Financial crisis at City Hall halts garbage collection
Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Hamilton Green, reported last Monday that due to the non-payment of a $50 M solid waste management bill garbage contractors have withdrawn their services from the City.
It is a reflection of the municipality’s serious financial crisis where the City Council was formally informed by the Director of the Solid Waste Department, Mr. Hubert Urlin at a press conference at City Hall that the two major private contractors responsible for garbage disposal in the city – Cevons Waste Management Incorporated and Puran Brothers Disposal Services have indicated their unwillingness to continue the collection exercise.
“We knew that such was coming, and over the weekend the Public Relations Section did issue an advisory to the public so that we could avoid a health crisis, which is always possible when our garbage collection is not on target,” Urlin disclosed.
However, the Mayor noted that the Council will continue to advise citizens to collect their garbage in large containers, preferably in large garbage bags that will not leak and sprinkle them liberally with a strong solution of disinfectant.
The Mayor added that sanitation releases would be issued to the public shortly in order to prevent a health crisis, which is possible in situations as these.
According to the Mayor if citizens adhere to the stipulated technique as they pile and pack their garbage, it could prove to be effective in reducing health problems.
“Our experience has been that, particularly around our markets, where there is food, et cetera, even when contractors clear on a regular basis, some times within hours the human scavengers are there to disperse the garbage.”
Moreover, the mayor remarked that citizens can also take their garbage between the hours of 07:00 – 16:00 to the Le Repentir Landfill Site, where the Council has continued, at a reduced level, to bury the waste.
He further pointed out that the Council is in constant dialogue with the contractors and has found them to be “reasonable and understanding,” and he expressed confidence that a reasonable compromise will be established in the near future.
In the meantime, Green called on the business community to put a halt to paying “junkies” to dispose their garbage.
He also pleaded to restaurateurs and hotels to desist from dumping fatty substances into the sewerage system since it is crucial and contributes to the clogging of drains and the sewers themselves.
Meanwhile, this newspaper was reliably informed during an interview with the proprietor of Puran Brothers Disposal Service, Mr. Lakenauth Puran that the municipality will be paying them a proportion of the money owed by today and they are hoping to resume garbage collection shortly. According to the proprietor of Cevons Waste Management Mr. Morse Archer, they were being paid for a period of one month, while they were promised the other month’s payment by next week and indicated that they will resume garbage collection today. (SARADA SINGH)
Berbice sugar workers protest exorbitant electricity bills
By Jeune Bailey Van-Keric
ABOUT 1,500 sugar workers attached to the Rose Hall Sugar Estate, in East Berbice, downed tools, marched through the main thoroughfare of the New Amsterdam township in what was dubbed a 'kitchen strike.'
They took to the streets yesterday to protest against exorbitant electricity bills and used the opportunity also to voice their concerns about rising food prices
Arriving at GPL’s office at around 07:20hrs the workers chanted: “Cut the bill, GPL must go.”
According to the disgruntled group they have to contend with the high tariff and increased unit rates, which have become a burden on the family budget. Their sojourn at the utility company was just under 15 minutes, as workers there had not yet resumed duty for the day.
At yesterday’s demonstrations, the gathering which consisted mainly men, converged at Tacoma Turn, south of the Berbice Township, as early as 06:15 hours before taking the one and a half mile trek to the New Amsterdam Offices of Guyana Power and Light Company and the National Insurance Scheme.
The increased food bill which has affected our country, is as a result of inflation of energy cost on the world market, and has not only affected us here but all the other nations.
