Simels trial…
Luncheon
THE local Police will need support both internally and externally for a comprehensive investigation to be conducted into allegations made during the concluded trial, in the United States, of former Defence Counsel Robert Simels to confessed Guyanese drug trafficker Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan.

This was reiterated Thursday by Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, at his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

Simels was recently convicted of tampering with witnesses who were likely to testify against Khan before the latter pleaded guilty to multiple drug charges and is awaiting sentence.

Replying to questions, Luncheon remarked that much has been said about what the Guyana Government should do and “we have consistently argued that this is a matter for the Police.”

“And that, indeed, if the Police were to be given the support in conducting, comprehensively, the investigations, that is, using what is available internally within this jurisdiction and also what is made available from external sources from the authorities, were they able to conclude that investigation, then the next steps would logically flow from the results of that investigation,” he elaborated.

Luncheon said: “As I sit here, that point continues to be Government’s take off. You have to have the investigations concluded.”

He pointed out that the way in which Guyanese have been provided with information through the media and other sources “may conjure the idea that the facts are all in and some would have us to even believe that the verdict is pretty much made.”

“But we are still going to hold on to the need to have a comprehensive investigation done and that much of that would be using our own resources, information and such like, but a very important contribution would have to come from the result of those trials,” Luncheon said, meaning for Simels and Khan.

He said, once that information is taken into consideration with what is available here, he feels it will offer the average Guyanese some assurance that there has been an appropriate and suitable process carried out, allowing greater credibility to be given to the results.

Luncheon maintained that the Guyanese Police have to investigate and, to do so, they would need support internally and externally and as much relevant information that is available.

He recalled that Police Commissioner Henry Greene previously wrote to the U.S. authorities.

“And my understanding is he has rewritten asking for information and was advised that the conclusion of the trial would provide the opportunity for that information to be provided.

“I will go further that it may very well be that, on the basis of what comes out of the ruling in this specific trial, that, maybe other agencies, other individuals and their support might be solicited,” Luncheon said.

According to him: “I don’t want to engage in much conjecture. I do know our principled position is and continues to be that there are a lot of expectations out there…expectations to which we subscribe, that that information will be made available to the Police”.

President Bharrat Jagdeo had already said, from the inception, that the Police Commissioner has an obligation to investigate any breach of Guyana laws.

“So we still expect that, at some point in time, the law enforcement authorities will be privy to all of the evidence that is being led in the U.S. courts,” the Head of State said.