Charges are likely for three ranks who are implicated in the theft
of $3.4M from the Police Finance Office, which is located in the
compound of Police Headquarters, Eve Leary.
Theft
of $3.4M, Police Headquarters, Eve
Leary
The ranks, an Assistant Superintendent, an Inspector and a Lance
Corporal, have been detained since Tuesday following the discovery of
the theft.
At least two of the detained ranks were previously transferred from
the police Financé Office for alleged skullduggery.
But they were reinstated and recently promoted.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud declined to provide details of the police
investigation, except to disclose that the act was internal.
Persaud said that there was no sign of breakage, which points directly
to an inside job.
Police in a press release Tuesday night, stated that the cash was
secured in a locked canister in a padlocked cashier cage.
The release stated that the three ranks in custody were responsible
for the keys to both the canister and cashier cage.
The monies stolen represented pensions and the recently announced
one-month bonus for ranks who are stationed in the interior and other
far away police locations.
A source at Police Headquarters, Eve Leary told this newspaper that
Police Commissioner Henry Greene was livid at an emergency meeting
with his senior officers, which lasted for several hours.
According to the source, the Commissioner chastised the
Officer-in-Charge of the Police Finance Office, pointing out that what
occurred was unacceptable.
Kaieteur News understands that Greene informed the meeting that the
incident has compounded last year’s situation when several ranks
were involved in the theft of a large amount of cash that was
recovered from robbery suspects.
Some time last year the Police Finance Office was broken
into, but on
that occasion the Commissioner stated that nothing was stolen. There
was an investigation but no one was charged.
Another source told this newspaper that while there were other thefts
from the Police Finance Office, the perpetrators are made to repay the
stolen cash and are transferred, instead of facing prosecution.
