Full local probe of US visa sales scam warranted
Editorial
It is mystifying that the government and law enforcement authorities here have so far adopted a hands-off attitude to an American investigation of the sale of visas by a US embassy official and a Guyanese man. Speaking to Stabroek News on Friday, Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj would only say that his ministry was prepared to pursue a local probe and that he had asked US authorities to make available any information on Guyanese who might be implicated in the scandal. He pointed out that jurisdictional issues could arise since the alleged criminal activity originated in the US embassy and as such he would prefer the police here to work in conjunction with their US counterparts. If the reports of the extent of the scam are anything to go by then hundreds of thousands of US dollars changed hands and many Guyanese and perhaps non-nationals were guilty of corruption. The physical act of illegally purchasing US visas is not the only facet of this racket that should engage the attention of the government and the law enforcement system. It casts its shadow over a much broader segment of national life. With the huge sums that were reportedly exchanged how many persons in public life might not have been compromised and given a cut of the take in exchange for their silence? These could include personnel in critical agencies such as the police force, the immigration department, airlines, the airport and the legal system. Businessmen and private sector enterprises were also not untouched. A local network for the mobilisation of clients existed. In affidavits filed in the US courts, mention has been made of two police officers who were allegedly involved in the ring. The allegation is not surprising but alarming. Instead of taking a passive interest in the investigation both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force should have immediately sought to obtain the names of the two officers and to clear up the matter as quickly as possible or to interdict the said officers from duty if required. A nonsense tape of the most dubious origin in the Andrew Douglas tape became the source of a ministry investigation. Why not claims in an affidavit attested to and filed in a US court? The police force must always be in the forefront of repudiating any allegations that can diminish its credibility in the eyes of the public. It needs to be more proactive on this particular issue. Apart from this, the visa sale enquiry no doubt dovetails into the illegal migration rings that continue to thrive despite efforts both here and in the US and Canada to extirpate them. Tales continue to be told of the ease with which illegal exit from the country at both official and unofficial ports is possible. The sale of visas is only a more direct way but it no doubt taps into the traditional machinery associated with `backtracking' such as fake passports, photographs and immigration stamps. Our police should be in the thick of things here. More than that, there have been robust hints that the steady stream of Asians using this country as a launching pad for North America - particularly Chinese - may have some bearing on this visa sale probe. It could be the break that local law enforcers need to smash this body smuggling ring. So why are they not taking a greater interest? Then there is the issue of the laundering of the proceeds from these illegal visa transactions. How much of this money is filtering back into the financial system here and how is it being done and can our newborn money laundering legislation be given an immediate test of competence? And what of the gold bars found by US authorities? Were they moulded here? If so what is the link with the visa sales probe? Increasingly bullion and its related industries have become efficient conduits for laundered proceeds and this is yet another tantalising dimension to the whole affair. Additionally, three local staff of the embassy have lost their jobs as a result of this investigation. One was a conspicuous spender, one is an ex-policeman and the other, interestingly, previously had ties with an Asian company. These three should be questioned by the police. In their probe, the US authorities will be solely concerned with the actions of Americans and the activities at the US embassy here. They are unlikely to be moved by the impact of these happenings on Guyana and the implications for law abiding citizens here who apply for US visas. It is incumbent, therefore, upon the government to initiate a separate, full-scale probe of this matter while co-operating with the US authorities. We may learn a lot that we should have known much earlier.
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