Althea Padmore named acting Head of SOCU
The Guyana Police Force yesterday announced the appointment of Althea Padmore as the acting Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
The announcement followed the recent controversy surrounding the previous head, Sydney James after an investigation of SOCU by the police found a series of accounting irregularities.
James has been sent on administrative leave and sources have said that his contract, which expires soon, is not expected to be renewed.
Based on the information gathered by Stabroek News, the SOCU head received a letter from the Commissioner of Police Leslie James, who instructed him to immediately proceed on administrative leave. He was at the Camp Street office when he received the letter and left shortly after.
When asked how long the SOCU chief will be off the job, the Commissioner responded, “administrative leave full stop.”
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan has said that he was aware that Sydney James was asked to go on administrative leave. “As the Commissioner informed me, he has been stood down so he should not be at the office and that is in keeping with the investigations that are being carried out right now,” he said.
The investigations are a direct result of the damning findings of an audit done in February.
Among the more than a dozen recommendations made by the force’s Audit Department was the immediate transfer of Sydney James and his Secretary. The SOCU official remained on the job until last Friday. It is unclear what has become of his secretary.
It was the Police Commissioner who initiated the audit in February following claims of grave mismanagement, including the misuse of the operational fund. That audit, which covered the last three years, was completed sometime in April and the final report handed over to the top cop. On May 15th, it was sent to the police’s legal advisor, retired Justice Claudette Singh, for advice and returned to the law enforcement officials the same day.
The Commissioner has not publicly commented on the findings of the audit, despite attempts by the media to raise the matter.