SOCU begins probe into Panama rice fiasco

The police probe into how thousands of bags of the wrong rice ended up in Panama has begun. Wednesday, two officials of the Guyana Rice Producers Association Action Committee met with investigators of the police’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) at the Camp Road headquarters. According to spokesperson of the committee, Dr. Turhane Doerga, the meeting meant that an official probe has begun in earnest. “We just came from SOCU offices where we met investigators and other senior officials. You will recall, as you reported, that the committee filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leslie James, recently. You will recall that it was sent to the Crime Chief to determine the merits of the complaint. Well, we are here now,” Doerga disclosed. He was accompanied by another committee official, Jinnah Rahman. Both are outspoken activists in the rice industry. Doerga himself is a retired miller, and former chief of Alesie Rice Mills.

“We briefed the officials on what happened and made it clear that it is a serious situation.” SOCU’s investigators will now be awaiting the arrival of 20 containers of the rice which was rejected by Panama’s port authorities because the grains did not meet specifications according to the contract signed between the Guyana Rice Development Board and the government of Panama. “We want to assist the investigators and offered to lend advice. We stressed that from indications there was fraudulent use of labels belonging to another miller on the rice. That miller as you know had denied he gave authorization for GRDB or others to use their labels.” Pressed, Doerga said that from indications, investigators will be looking closely at the roles played by the various actors, including from the Guyana Revenue Authority and GRDB. (Kaieteurnews)