The government is urging people with information about the murder of death squad informant George Bacchus at his Princes Street, Lodge home early yesterday morning to approach the law enforcement authorities.
It is also calling on the opposition PNCR to provide information to back up its claims about yesterday's shooting, instead of making inflammatory and unfounded accusations.
The government's statement, which came via Head of Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday afternoon said that statements by the PNCR were reckless and provocative.
Bacchus, a self-confessed informant for the death squad which allegedly hunted and killed wanted criminals, was gunned down early yesterday morning at his Princes Street home. The informant, in his utterances following the murder of his brother Shafeek Bacchus in January, by alleged death squad members, had fingered Home Affairs Minister Ronald Gajraj as having knowledge of the operations of the squad. The minister has repeatedly denied these allegations.
In a statement on the matter, Luncheon said the "tragic incident", was addressed by Cabinet at its weekly meeting yesterday and the administration resolved to go ahead with its inquiry via the recently announced Presidential Commission. The inquiry has been stalled by the need to address the legality of the appointment of one of the commissioners.
Luncheon urged the general public to ignore the "wild speculations and irresponsible utterings of the opposition".
On the matter of protection for Bacchus, Luncheon said that from his understanding there was never formal engagement between the self-confessed informant and the law enforcement authorities at which such a request could have been made.