Police still waiting on US for trial transcripts
Stabroek News
December 9, 2002
The Police are still to receive from the US Embassy the transcripts of the evidence from the Thomas Carroll trial that they had requested for the purpose of local investigations.
Carroll, a former diplomat at the US embassy was convicted and sentenced to more than fourteen years imprisonment for selling US immigrant visas and for other related offences. In his statements, he implicated several people locally including police officers. Commissioner of Police, Floyd McDonald told Stabroek News that he has no definite idea when the transcripts would become available. He said he has been told it is a long process.
The Commissioner requested the transcripts after some of the witnesses testified to the involvement of some police officers, including members of the Target Special Squad/“Black Clothes Police”. The information in the transcripts could be the basis of departmental action if not criminal prosecution against the police officers implicated. Earlier, the Commissioner had told Stabroek News that the documents he had already received from the US Embassy could not provide the basis for a departmental prosecution.
Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj, also had the same view as to the value of the documents. He said then that the statements supplied by the US government so far could not be used as evidence against the officers, as it would be hearsay.
He said this also applied to proffer statements made by Halim Khan in which he named those persons he said had been involved in the visa sale scam, although they were given in front of an officer of the Guyana Police Force.
Gajraj said too that the officers could also escape departmental proceedings since the rules of evidence are the same as for a court of law.
An outcry from the opposition parties prompted the government to announce that it would pursue the issue with the US government.
Among the officers implicated in the scam and who participated in the legal proceedings against Carroll and Khan is Hargobin Mortley, and Eustace Abraham aka Robo Cop, a member of the Target Special Squad/Black Clothes Police.
Late Police Superintendent Leon Fraser was also implicated as US authorities told the court that he had admitted his involvement before he was killed in an ambush by person or persons unknown. Fraser, however, had denied to the local team that assisted the US investigators here that he was involved in the scheme, according to Home Affairs Ministry sources.
Another officer was mentioned in the testimony but he has since retired from the Force.
Illustrative of the difficulty of mounting prosecutions locally against those fingered as being involved, is the dismissal of the case against Eton Cordis, against whom charges were brought by the Police but were later withdrawn.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Henry Chester, headed the team, which assisted the US investigators. The other members included a senior superintendent from the Criminal Investigation Department. When he retired an Assistant Commissioner of Police replaced him.
That team, to which a senior attorney from the Director of Public Prosecutions was attached as legal adviser, did not report to the Commissioner of Police but Stabroek News understands directly to the Minister of Home Affairs and to the President. The US Court records indicate that the US Ambassador, at the time Carroll was arrested, had informed President Bharrat Jagdeo about the investigations.
