UNFOLDING like a script from a Hollywood blockbuster, the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the 1980 death of Working People’s Alliance (WPA) founder, Dr. Walter Rodney, yesterday reconvened and heard that the killing was indeed “state sponsored” and that the then President Forbes Burnham, knew about it before hand.In fact, then President Burnham reportedly held a meeting “two or three days” before the fateful June 13, 1980 explosion, where he was briefed on the developments of the assassination plot by former Commissioner of Police, Laurie Lewis; former Crime Chief, Skip Roberts and the then Army Chief, Norman Mc Lean.

A confidante of Burnham, identified as Cecil Ram, was also reportedly present at the meeting.
These explosive revelations came yesterday when Robert Gates, a former Guyana Police Force (GPF) rank testified to working undercover infiltrating the WPA, as well as serving as bodyguard to WPA co-founder, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine.

DEADLY PLOTS
State sponsored killing, according to Gates, was the order of the day and he had direct knowledge of a number of plots to kill Guyanese citizens deemed to be enemies of the State.

Dr. Rupert Roopnarine was among the six, he said, that had been marked for death and that the WPA member is in fact only alive a day like today because he (Gates) never followed through on his instructions to execute him.

“He owes me his life…I let Rupert go,” declared Gates.
According to Gates, he was able to confirm the meeting being held by the President and his security chiefs at the Official Presidential residence of Forbes Burnham at Belfield (East Coast Demerara), through two ranks that were stationed at Burnham’s residence.
He said he could not recall their names but one had the rank of Corporal and the other a Sergeant.
According to Gates, he learnt of the contents of the meeting by conversing with one of Burnham’s close-man (security detail).
This conversation with Burnham’s security detail occurred a long time after the Rodney killing and it was at that point in time that Gates said he knew the extent of the involvement of the then President.
He identified that person as a Sergeant Mark Johnson, who Gates said is believed to be residing in the United States of America.
DEATH SQUAD
Detailing the State’s involvement in the sordid affairs, Gates gave details into another killing of a WPA activist, Ohini Koama.

According to him, because of his undercover activities, he was warned by two ranks of the Police Force’s “Death Squad” at the time.
Two weeks prior to Koama’s death, Gates said he met with two police ranks he identified as Detective Sergeant Andrews and a Corporal Cuffy, when he was told, “Red man if you does hang with Ohini desist…they said don’t be in a vehicle with Ohini at any time.”
According to Gates, the men informed him that they had received orders to send Ohini Koama “home.”
Home, Gates said he took to mean, the Le-Repentir Cemetery.
COLD BLOODED KILLER
Gates told the Commissioners that Koama was ambushed and killed two weeks later.
Asked why he did not quiz the two police ranks earlier as to the Koama hit, Gates responded, “Agent (Detective Sergeant Andrews) was a cold blooded killer…he was a man of very little words.”
He told the Commission that he believed he was just being given some friendly advice and as such he did not press the men on the issue.
Koama was ambushed and gunned down in Georgetown and weapons were recovered in the vehicle he was travelling in.
Gates, who confessed to previously being a member of the infamous ‘Death Squad’ said that this was the modus operandi of the outfit.
He said that at all times the patrol would have a G3 weapon, along with two semi-automatic pistols.
According to Gates, this would be planted on certain people when killed by that group, as justification for the use of force.
Gates further told the Commission of Inquiry he has every reason to believe that weapons discovered in Koama’s car following his killing, was planted by the ‘Death Squad.’
During his evidence-in-chief to the COI, Gates said he met again subsequently with Corporal Cuffy, at which point during the conversation he was told, “we just send home that one Dublin.”
According to Gates, he did not know much about Dublin, just that he was an activist in Linden.
Gates was adamant that these were state sponsored killings as the ‘death squad’ was acting on instructions.
“They don’t operate on their own,” said the former ‘Death Squad’ member.
ENEMIES OF THE STATE
He said that the men, inclusive of Dr Rodney and Dr. Roopnarine were all classified as enemies of the State.

According to Gates, the criteria to be classified enemy of the state would result from any activity that would affect the smooth running of the country.
Asked about how he came about information that there was a plot to kill the WPA leader, Gates said he met frequently with ranks of the death squad “and we shared intelligence.”
According to Gates, by 1978, 1979 the role of the death squad had gone from merely breaking up WPA meetings to physical attacks.
The meetings, he said, had begun to attract larger and larger crowds and based on the utterances at the meetings, Gates said that Dr. Rodney had every intention of removing the government of the day by force.
He said too that, another worry of then President Burnham was that the WPA had, by this time, infiltrated the security and intelligence services.
So much so was the infiltration, according to Gates, is that the head of the Police Force’s Special Branch, James Mentore, was found to be passing classified information to the WPA.
Gates said, when Mentore was discovered, “he disappeared.”
STATE SPONSORED
According to Gates, the then President Burnham not only knew and was briefed about the plan to kill Rodney, he could have stopped it if he wanted to.
Gates told the Commission too that “I knew it was state sponsored because of the person involved and who he was reporting to.”
He was making reference to a then rank of the Guyana Defence Force, Gregory Smith, who purportedly delivered the bomb concealed in a ‘walkie talkie’ to Rodney, which exploded in his lap killing him instantly.
According to Gates, Gregory Smith reported directly to Norman Mclean.
Gates is adamant that while some of the persons that are responsible for Dr Rodney’s killing are dead, many are still alive, two of whom are front benchers in the National Assembly and should be made to face justice.
STATE FUNDED INFILTRATION
Gates’ story however, did not just centre on Rodney’s assassination, as he detailed how the state paid money to infiltrate the WPA.
According to Gates, he would meet frequently with Emerson Simon, the then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Development which was headquartered in Sophia.
“At one such meeting he indicated to me that the Comrade Leader was pleased with my undercover work,” said Gates.
According to Gates, he started receiving money from Simon, to pay moles in the WPA to supply inside information on the party’s actions.

Other informants not in the party that Gates said he paid using the money he uplifted from the Permanent Secretary were persons living in the Tiger Bay area where the WPA centre was located.
For security reasons, Gates said he would not name them.
He also accused a body guard and a handyman of being able to supply him with vital information on the WPA, which he in turn reported and said that he felt great to hear that Burnham was pleased with his work.
In addition, Gates said “I was handsomely paid.”
A RUSSIAN CONNECTION
He gave details too of a plot to kill Dr. Roopnarine. According to Gates, he was promised the equivalent of US$1M in Guyana currency as well as safe haven in Moscow, to execute the WPA co-founder.
Simon, he said, made the offer, which was later confirmed by former Police Commissioner, Laurie Lewis, according to Gates.
He told the COI that Laurie Lewis at the time was Deputy Commissioner of Police responsible for the Joint Services Intelligence Unit, which had its headquarters at a Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) owned building at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
He was told by Lewis that the instruction to eliminate Dr Rupert Roopnarine, came from “above me” which Gates said he took to mean the “Commander-in-Chief.”
Dr. Roopnarine and Dr. Rodney, according to Gates, were involved in activities affecting the smooth running of the country such as trafficking in arms and ammunition.
MILK TIN BULLETS
Having infiltrated the WPA, Gates said he was sent on three occasions to uplift .762 rounds from a man he was told is a member of the GDF.
He said that it was Dr. Roopnarine who directed him to go uplift the ammunition, which would be stashed in 5lb milk tins.
According to Gates, Dr. Roopnarine would uplift the ammunition from him, but not before they were doctored on instructions by the State.
He said that he informed his superiors of the ammunition being trafficked to Dr. Roopnarine.
Gates revealed that ‘Chico,’ a rank, who reported to Lewis, came and collected the ammunition and returned them to him before handing it off to Dr. Roopnarine.
He said he believed that the rounds were doctored and reloaded in such a way that if one were to use them, they would be blown to bits.
‘Chico’ he said, would take the rounds to an expert, a Russian identified as Brezhnev, who was reportedly staying at the Pegasus Hotel.
The Russian’s codename was agreed to be ‘Gorbachev.’
Gates said too that he had trained Dr. Roopnarine on how to use the high powered G3 weapon and at one time was handed a magazine with doctored rounds meant to kill Dr. Roopnarine.
The instructions, according to Gates, was to fire the first ten rounds of the magazine while the weapon was on single fire mode, change its function to rapid fire and then give Dr. Roopnarine the gun to shoot.
BOGUS DISMISSAL LETTER
In order to infiltrate the WPA deeper, Gates said he supplied Dr. Roopnarine with a bogus letter of dismissal from the Guyana Police Force.

Gates identified the former Crime Chief, Skip Roberts as the person who handed him the letter to convince Dr. Roopnarine of his loyalty to the WPA.
According to Gates, however, his first loyalty was always to the State. He insists that he was a serving member of the Guyana Police Force and was paid up until and including January 31, 1981.
Gates said he met Dr. Roopnarine, after he was arrested and placed in his custody. The Former Police Force rank said that he was instructed not to allow Dr. Roopnarine any visits or phone calls.
According to Gates, he began to feel sorry for Dr. Roopnarine and did allow him to make some phone calls.
He said that it was from this point that he eventually managed to convince the WPA co-founder to believe that he was sympathetic to the WPA and its cause and the two developed a relationship.
This led to Dr. Roopnarine reportedly asking Gates to resign from the Police Force, prompting the bogus letter.
Sometime later, Dr. Roopnarine was reportedly informed by a rank from the Criminal Investigation Department about Gates role as a spy in the organisation.
STATE SPY
When confronted, Gates said he confessed to Dr. Roopnarine, that he had been sent by the State to spy on him.
Gates said he pleaded with Dr. Roopnarine, insisting that he was sympathetic to the WPA, a ploy that worked.
He said that despite being asked by Dr. Roopnarine to not report on some of the activities of the party, he still did it anyway as his loyalty was first to the State.
The COI continues today when Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram and Basil Williams among others are expected to cross examine Gates based on his testimony.