SOCU seeks forfeiture of cash found strapped to woman’s thighs

The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has filed legal proceedings to have approximately $1.5 million in foreign currency seized from a woman who had tried entering the country with the cash strapped to her thighs.

By way of an ad in the November 9th, 2019 edition of the Stabroek News, published in English and Dutch, SOCU notified “Gabriella Reginia Artist,” whose addresses were given as Sleepin Hotel, Brickdam, Georgetown, and Leidingzo Paramaribo, Suriname, that it is seeking the forfeiture of US$3,300, and €8,300, which had been seized from her.

The amounts are said to have been seized and detained pursuant to sections 37 and 82 of the Anti-Money Laundering Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act after the woman was reportedly held with the cash as she attempted to enter Guyana.

The matter has been adjourned until November 15th, when it comes up for hearing before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court.

Stabroek News had reported in July last year that the then 24-year-old woman, whose name was then given as Reginia Ortiz, was found by police with a large amount of currency strapped to her thighs after arriving in Guyana via a “backtrack” route.

The woman had told police that she had entered Guyana by sea with the consent of an immigration officer. Her then attorney had added that Ortiz was granted entry for a six-month period, and was of the belief that she was allowed to come and go as she pleased within that period.

Checks of the woman’s passport, however, revealed that she did not present herself to immigration for processing upon her most recent entry.

Ultimately, Ortiz was fined $20,000, in default of which she would be imprisoned for 21 days. Ortiz was eventually escorted to the nearest point of exit, pursuant to a further order of the court.

Tumultuous existence

SOCU has suffered a tumultuous existence, with few successes since its establishment in 2014.

A rare instance of success came recently, in which case Stabroek News reported that the entity was successful in securing civil forfeiture orders with respect to approximately $16 million. The money, which was in various currencies, was believed to have been procured through drug trafficking, and intended for laundering.

However, in April this year, an application for the forfeiture of approximately $7 million was dismissed by Justice Singh, who found that the application was not properly brought, and that a case of money laundering, for which the accused had been charged, was not made out.

Additionally, last month Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan planned on seeking answers from SOCU after Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, dismissed several charges against six former members of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRBD) after SOCU Special Prosecutor Lawrence Harris failed to make an appearance when the matter was called.

The charges related to their alleged failure to record entries for funds amounting

to over $200 million in the agency’s general ledger.

An official reason is yet to be given for Harris’ failure to attend court, and it was noted that he had failed to appear in the same matter on three prior occasions, consecutively. On a previous occasion, Harris had told Stabroek News that he would not comment on the matter until he made an official report to his superiors. This was several weeks ago.

Two sources had told Stabroek News that Harris’ non-attendance might be due to the fact that he had not been paid by the State for several months. This was put to Harris, who refused to confirm, or deny the claim. When Stabroek News contacted Harris again yesterday, he indicated that he was in a meeting, and asked that a call be returned later in the day. However, all subsequent attempts to contact Harris were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Leslie James, has failed to give specific comments on this subject.

Both Ramjattan and James have said that plans are underway to make SOCU more effective.