Big bank account SOCU probes Omar Shariff for alleged financial crimes
Omar Shariff
Omar Shariff

PERMANENT Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency (MoTP) Omar Shariff, has been sent on leave by Minister of State Joseph Harmon after he was arrested by ranks from the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on Thursday. The Guyana Chronicle has been reliably informed that Shariff was arrested in connection with large sums of cash found in his personal bank accounts. Investigators are probing the source of the money.
Reports also indicated that SOCU also visited the permanent secretary’s home and removed documents and a safe.
In a letter dated June 30, 2016 to Shariff, Minister Harmon told Shariff to proceed on his annual leave effective Friday, so that he could cooperate fully with SOCU during the investigation.
“This is [a] money-laundering and tax-evasion matter, since it’s large sums of money that he has in his personal accounts,” Harmon told online news agency Demerara Waves on Thursday.
According to the Minister of State, SOCU’s investigations have nothing to do with Shariff’s role as permanent secretary at the MoTP.
“These matters which came up are of a personal nature and they have to do with his own personal, private arrangement and have nothing to do with his actual office of permanent secretary,” he said.
Shariff worked under the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government and is a former senior member of the PPP. He also served as a former head of that party’s youth arm, the Progressive Youth Organisation.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo when questioned at Parliament on Thursday about the recent development, said once the investigations are fair and impartial, then all illegalities found should be dealt with in accordance with the law.
SOCU works closely with the Finance Intelligence Unit (FIU) to track possible money-laundering activities.
Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communities, Abena Moore, will take up the role of acting permanent secretary at the MOTP.

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