Granger fails on commitment to issue statement on AFC senior executive phone tapping allegations

Former President David Granger has flaked on his commitment to provide a statement addressing media reports that the Coalition government had ordered, in April of this year, the surveillance of a senior minister from the Alliance For Change (AFC) arm of the administration.

Granger, according to executive People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member Christopher Jones, planned to make a public statement yesterday morning – that was in response to Kaieteur News’ request for a direct comment. However, that timeline passed without a statement being issued by the Coalition leader.

Kaieteur News reached out to Jones again to inquire whether a statement would be issued by Granger or not and Jones replied in the negative. Granger himself has not been directly or indirectly accessible to the media for several months now with attempts at contact even through senior intermediaries like Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon proving unsuccessful. Kaieteur News put the allegations to PNCR General Secretary, Amna Ally. In response, Ally stated that she was not aware of the reports, but nonetheless added that: “I don’t know if Mr. Granger would authorise anything like that.” Kaieteur News also contacted the police to ascertain whether the Force is in receipt of the same information. However, the Force’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Royston Andres stated simply in response, “I do not have that information.”

Executives from the AFC have reported that they are treating the allegations as “fake news” until concrete evidence is provided to support the claims. Kaieteur News had reported that weeks after the March 2 Elections, the executive of the Coalition government had ordered the surveillance of a senior minister from the AFC. According to reliable sources who saw correspondence on the matter, the executive had received “credible” reports that the minister in question was alleged to have been involved in a number of illegal practices linked to ammunition and gun licences and narcotics. Official sources told Kaieteur News that the Guyana Police Force Special Branch/Intelligence wrote, on the authority of the Granger executive, for “intercepts” on the phone of the official, also a senior executive in the AFC.

The then minister under surveillance had long been dogged by rumours of bypassing the Firearm Licensing Board and directly issuing licences, in contravention to established procedure, with claims that at least $1M was charged for each gun licence that was issued.

The surveillance, our sources say, took place within the period of April to May 2020 when Guyana was locked in a heated elections’ results battle, weeks after Granger had already lost the elections to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) candidate, now President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

According to the Interception of Communications Act 2008, the police would have had to apply for a warrant and accompanying affidavit requesting permission to conduct the surveillance.

That affidavit would also contain the name of the authorised officer and the entity on behalf of which the application is made; the facts or allegations giving rise to the application; sufficient information for a Judge to issue a warrant; the period for which the warrant is requested; the grounds relied on for the issue of a warrant under subsection; and if the applicant will be seeking the assistance of any person or entity in implementing the warrant, sufficient information for a Judge so to direct. Added to that, if the warrant is applied for regarding a matter of national security, a written authorization, signed by the Minister responsible for national security is required with that application.

That Minister at the time would have been Alliance For Change Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan. In relation to whether he was bypassed in the surveillance order being issued, Ramjattan said that Granger knew he was always a phone call away. The former minister and current parliamentarian said the story was part of the “wickedness” of the ruling PPP/C.

(Kaieteur News)